True Despair
by momo7902
Summary: Kagome travels back to her present era to catch up on her school work when she runs into a hollow, soon to meet our orange headed shinigami. How will he effect her battle with Naraku?  Action & Adventure/Romance & Drama
1. Unpredictable Outcome

**_Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bleach, Inuyasha, or the characters from either manga/anime. I only own the story plot and idea of this particular fanfic! (^-^;)_**

**A/N: It's been awhile since I've typed stories for these categories. I haven't watched Bleach in like a few months because I've been watching other animes like Hell Girl, Durarara!, High School of the Dead, ect.  
>Now I'm back to share my wonderful tales with you all. I deleted one of my stories on here because I thought it was crap and that it seriously needed some editing. But now that I'm very experienced with this website and know the rights of typing good dialogue, grammar, and other things this story with be bomb! So please Have Fun~<strong>

**P.S. Don't forget to R&R (Read & Review)!**

**Summary: Kagome travels back to her present era to catch up on her school work when she runs into a hollow, soon to meet our orange headed shinigami. How will he effect her battle with Naraku? (Action & Adventure/Romance & Drama)**

**True Despair  
>By Momo7902<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1: Unpredictable Outcome<strong>

Beams of sunlight stretched through the glassless windows like long pieces of white rays. The air smelt like fresh water and healthy grass as it's scent blew through the sky and across the village, birds chirping and villagers farming and chatting.

Higurashi Kagome awoke in the house of Kaede's as she fluttered her eyes open a little, looking up at the wooden ceiling as she sat up, seeing that Kaede was in the corner cooking with Sango and Shippo, Inuyasha sound asleep in the corner and Miroku staring out the door, Kirara on his shoulder. Shippo looked over at Kagome and smiled, walking over to her as he clutched a few ferns in his hands. "Good morning Kagome," he said.

Kagome yawned, stretching her arms up as she rubbed her eyes. "Hello Shippo," she said, ruffling his brown hair as he smiled happily. "Are you hungry, we just cooked some fish stew," he said.

"Maybe next time Shippo. Right now I need to get going home, but don't tell Inuyasha that," she giggled, placing her index finger to her lips as she winked.

Sango walked over to Kagome and got on her knees. "Why are you leaving so soon? You just came back about a week ago," Sango mentioned. "Yeah I know, but I have a test coming up which counts for 60% of my grade. I've been studying all day whenever we weren't looking for the jewel shards or when a demon wasn't trying to attack us. After reading all these text books for hours, I think I finally understand what my math teacher is hinting at. I'm positive I'll pass!"

Kagome stood up and began packing her things into her yellow backpack as quietly as possible, making sure she didn't wake Inuyasha up. She quickly but silently zipped her giant yellow backpack up as she put it on, smiling at everyone as she waved, walking out of the door.

The sun blinded her as she lifted a hand up to shield it from her eyes, smiling as bright as the sun as she ran down the dirt pathway. After a short run, Kagome reached the old well which seemed to be calling out to her, saying, "Welcome back Kagome."

She took small steps over to the well, clutching the straps to her yellow backpack as she prepared herself for the trip back. That's when she heard a twig snap behind her. Kagome jumped a little, turning around as she saw Inuyasha scowling at her, his giant yellow eyes peering into her.

Kagome smiled sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her head. "Oh, Inuyasha," she laughed.

"Where do you think you're going?" he bluntly asked. "I'm going home, I have a test," she said.

"Why don't you just give up on school and stay here already. It'd be better than switching back and forth," he said. Kagome has been thinking about doing that, but she didn't want to forget about her normal life back in the present day. "I've told you a million times I can't just stay here. That'll cause to many problems. And I don't want to spend my whole life fighting demons, I still want to be a high school student," she said, sitting down on the well.

"You know that's a lie Kagome," Inuyasha exclaimed. "Oh well, my mind is set and I'm going home so I can take this test. I won't be gone for that long Inuyasha. I'll be back in about a week, no more than that. I promise."

Kagome hopped down the well as a bright blue light arose from it.

**...**

Kagome climbed out of the well as she appeared in the shrine house, throwing her backpack out first before she finally emerged from the well. Picking her bag up, Kagome walked up the steps and opened the door as she looked around. She saw her house, the front entrance, and the tree. The sounds of cars filled the air as she sighed, happy she was back in her present day time.

She walked into her house as she noticed the place was empty. Everything inside seemed to creek loudly as silent wind blew through the cracks of the house. "Mom, Souta, are you guys here?" she called out, her voice bouncing off the walls. She walked into the living room which was vacant from all life as well. "Gramps, are you here?" she asked.

Sliding the kitchen door open, she saw a yellow note being held by a magnet on the refrigerator as she walked over to it. Kagome read it out loud.

"Kagome, if you somehow come home right now, I took Souta to the store with me. Gramps is in town taking care of some business. We should be back soon, Love Mom," she whispered. Kagome set the small paper on the counter as she walked up the stairs and to her bedroom.

When she opened the door, the room seemed to be filled with some sort of melancholy hidden in peace. The very presence caused Kagome's smile to fade as she walked over to her dresser. She looked down at her chest and near her collar bone as the half circular Shikon No Tama glistened in the light of the sun. Kagome took it off as she held it by the small string it rested on, staring at it before she set it down. Kagome sat down on her bed as she looked at the time. _10:23 A.M. huh? I guess that gives me some time to sleep before I study some more._

Laying back on her pink covers and pillow, Kagome stared at the ceiling, the silence overwhelming. Kagome's eyelids grew heavy as they shut, putting her into a deep slumber as she turned to her side. Her dreams were always the same (when she wasn't stressing about school), her in the Feudal Era as everyone smiled at her. Sometimes she dreamed about their journeys, and the war for the jewel shards being over as she lived a quiet and peaceful life with Inuyasha and the others.

Suddenly, Kagome's eyes shot open as she heard a loud noise come from downstairs. She didn't feel in the mood to get up completely, she was actually tempted to go back to sleep, but the banging kept continuing which made Kagome a little suspicious.

Kagome got off her bed as she fixed her uniform a little, grabbing the Shikon Jewel as she latched it around her neck. She stood near the door, looking down at the dark room. "Hey, are you guys home?" she called from upstairs.

No one responded, only the banging greeted her. "Gramps, is that you?"

She quietly walked down the hall, reaching the stairs as she saw a shadow moving around. Kagome paused, trying to soak in the situation. _Could there be a burglar?_ she thought. Kagome shook her head. _No, no. We've never had a burglar here before. Maybe it's a demon or something, or maybe Inuyasha._

Kagome crept down the steps, her hands firmly on the wooden rail as she figured out that the banging was coming from the kitchen. "Is someone in there," she called out. The banging stopped, Kagome walking over to the kitchen slowly. She put on her happy face as she reached the door. "I don't bite, if someone's in there just tell me now-"

All of a sudden, the kitchen door smashed open and something smacked Kagome hard in the face, sending her flying to the nearest wall as she yelped in pain. Kagome coughed a little, wiping some blood off her lip as she looked up at a shadow which was moving in the cloud of dust it had created. "W-What's going on..?" she stammered, standing up as she strained her eyesight a little. Kagome gasped when she saw the thing that had smacked her.

What stood in front of her was some sort of monster with a white mask on. It's mask was wide, maybe six feet in length as it's big yellow eyes gazed at her, it's monstrous teeth slobbering on her floor as it's slender green body rose about ten feet high, banging against her ceiling as she stood there fearfully.

_Is that thing a demon?_ she wondered. _How did it get out of the well?_ Kagome's eyes were wide as the pupils shook, her body shaking too. The monster stared at her with great interest as Kagome was on full alert. "What are you? Are you a demon?"

The monster took a few giant steps over to her, causing Kagome to back up a little until her back was pressed firmly against the wall. "A demon, that's rather rude," the monster replied in a deep voice, sending chills down her spine.

"I've heard better insults from shinigami's, but never mind that. I'm more interested in you, after all you can see me can't you?"

Kagome nodded, placing her hand on the Shikon Jewel, covering it with her hand so it wouldn't see it. _I don't know what he's talking about with this_ shinigami _thing, but if it really is a demon, then it'll come after the jewel shard._

"And if you can see me, then that means you're spirit energy must be pretty high!" The monster thrust its giant teeth at Kagome as she hopped over to the side, the monster making another hole in the ground as Kagome caught her footing.

"You're quick on your feet, you're obviously not a normal girl. That makes you even more tasty," he moaned, roaring loudly as Kagome took a few steps back.

_I don't want him to destroy the house, that'll cause a lot of problems. I better get him outside,_ she thought.

Without another word, Kagome dashed for the front door, the monster chasing after her as she sprinted for her life. _I have to get to the well and get Inuyasha!_

Just when Kagome got to the door of the shrine house, the monster smacked her to the side. She skid across the hard cement, scraping her hands and knees as skin rubbed off, blood now on the pavement.

The Shikon Jewel fell from her neck and rolled a good three feet from her as she stared at it with dismay. Kagome couldn't move her body, even though her mind kept saying get up. The monster's mouth opened wide as it shot down at the fifteen year old. Kagome wasn't ready to die yet! She crawled over to the Shikon Jewel and picked it up.

She held it in front of the monster who continued to lunge itself towards her. "Stop!" she shouted.

Kagome's eyes grew very wide when the monster was slashed into two, vaporizing into the afternoon air. Kagome sat there dumbstruck, wondering what just happened as she sat on the pavement, seconds passing that felt like minutes. "W-What just happened?" she thought out loud.

Someone hopped in front of Kagome, wearing a black kimono. From the body size, it was obviously a man... and a muscular one at that. He held a long, sharp sward in his hand that looked like a knife as the white bandage wrapped around the hilt brushed the ground. He had his back turned to her as Kagome stared at his neon orange hair. _That's weird,_ she thought.

The man rested his sward on his shoulder as he itched the back of his head, looking over at Kagome with his brown eyes.

Where is this going to lead our young miko?

* * *

><p><strong>Well there's our first chapter, I hope you enjoyed it. Please R&amp;R, the next chapter is going to <em>way<em> better. Stay Tune~**


	2. A Shinigami and a Girl

**A/N: Hello! I'm glad everyone enjoyed the first chapter, Arigatou Gozimasu. Kagome-chan finally met Strawberry-dono, Kawaii! What's to come though, I wonder.**  
><strong>Kagome's friends are in this chapter, so in case you don't know who's who this is the info (Ayumi is the quiet girl with curly brown hair that doesn't talk much, Eri is the girl with straight black hair that goes to her shoulders, and Yuka is the girl with short black hair that goes to her neck) Enjoy~<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2: A Shinigami and a Girl<strong>

They stared at each other for about two minutes, his brown eyes piercing through her brown eyes. Kagome was astonished that the boy looked no older than her. _He's cute too,_ she thought. The boy turned around completely and started walking away, leaving Kagome to sit on the ground.

Kagome stood up, her hands balled into fist as she stared at him. "Hey, where are you going?" she asked. The boy stopped instantly, looking over at the girl with a shocked expression. "What!" he shouted. He pointed at her, his hand shaking dramatically. "You can see me?" he asked.

"Of coarse I can see you, why wouldn't I be able to?" she asked.

He let his sword scrap on the cement as he looked at her seriously. "That could explain why that hollow was attacking you," he said. "Hollow? What are you talking about?"

"A hollow is an evil spirit that devours other spirits to fill the pain it has. That hollow was trying to eat you because of your high spiritual power," he said. Kagome stared at Ichigo in disbelief. "So that thing wasn't a demon?" she asked. The boy put his sword away, placing his hands in the pockets of his shihakusho. "Well I guess hollows can be considered as demons, it depends on your point of view," he said.

"What are you then?" she asked. His face grew very serious as he stared at her. "I'm a substitute shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo," he said. Kagome crossed her arms. "A shinigami? You mean like a death god or something?"

Ichigo nodded, closing his eyes as he took a few steps away from her. "Yeah that's right. Our soul purpose is to help spirits that have passed away. When we find them, we perform a konso with our zanpakutos or 'swords'. Once we've done that, the soul goes to the Soul Society A.K.A. heaven. Hollows are souls we didn't get to in time, once we've cut them with our zanpakuto, they too go to the Soul Society. Do you understand now?"

Kagome nodded, looking down at her scrapped knees. They soon heard voices getting louder and louder as they realized someone was walking over. "That's my mom and my brother!" she said. Ichigo nodded, looking over at the entrance as he saw two pairs of heads coming over.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"H-Higurashi Kagome," she stammered. Ichigo smiled at her, causing her to blush a little. "Well Kagome, I'll talk to you tomorrow," he said.

Before she could say anything, Ichigo literally vanished as she was left standing there, seeing Souta running over to her while smiling. "Kagome, I didn't know you were back," he said. Souta looked down at her bleeding knees as he gasped. "Whoa, what happened?" he asked.

Kagome smiled, waving her hands around a little. "I just tripped is all. There was a little accident in the house too, so don't be surprised when you go inside and see the mess. An um... demon smashed the place and I had to kill it," she said.

"A demon?" her mom responded. "Yeah, but don't worry, the mess wasn't that bad. I managed to get it outside so it wouldn't make a bigger mess." Her mom nodded as she led everyone back over to the house. Kagome thought about Ichigo, she wondered what kind of boy he was, and why fate brought them here.

**The Next Day...**

_Oh no,_ Kagome thought. She stared down at her test. None of the answers had been filled in and Kagome spent the last ten minutes staring at it with a face filled with anguish. _I don't get a single thing on here!_ Kagome felt like screaming at the top of her lungs, seeing that studying didn't help at all.

_If I fail this I'll get an F in math for sure, what do I do?_ Kagome decided to guess on every question she didn't know and give the simplest answer ever on an answer she only knew a little on. "Alright class, please hand in your test," her teacher said. Kagome walked up to the front desk and handed the math teacher her paper.

Kagome stood in front of her tiny locker after class as she grabbed her backpack, sighing nonchalantly. _I'm done for, I know I failed,_ she thought. Kagome shut her locker as she stood there for a few minutes, just staring sadly at her feet as her black hair cascaded over her shoulders. "Kagome," she heard her name being called.

She turned and saw her three friends Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi running over to her. "Hey guys," she smiled. All of them looked at Kagome's knees which were wrapped up in bandages as they gasped. "What happened? Is it the infection?" Eri asked. Kagome went pale. _Dang it Gramps,_ she thought. "No it's not the infection. I just fell down, that's all," she said.

Her friends exhaled, as if happy that it wasn't the 'infection'. "We have big news for you!" Yuka shouted.

"Hojo's looking for you. He wants to ask you on a date," Ayumi said happily. "A date?" Kagome repeated. All three of them nodded. "I'm not sure if I-"

"You better agree Kagome," Eri shouted. "Yeah, you and Hojo are made for each other. And we don't want you to go out with this bad boy jerk. He's not your type of man Kagome! We want what's best for you!"

Kagome sighed, walking away from her friends as they followed her down the hallway. Her friends froze up as Hojo walked their way, smiling brightly as he stared at Kagome.

Hojo stood in front of Kagome with a bright smile on his face. "It's nice to see you again Kagome," he said. Kagome nodded, looking over at her friends who seemed to have backed away from the two a little. "I'm glad you're all better, I was getting a little worried for you Kagome."

"Thanks for your concern Hojo," she said, bowing a little. "Oh, by the way I wanted to ask you something. I would of asked you sooner but you went home sick so I couldn't. There's this cafe in Tokyo that has great food and entertainment. I was wondering if you wanted to come with me?" he asked.

"Oh, well Hojo actually I-"

"She would love to go!" Yuka said, grabbing Kagome's arm tightly. "What?" Kagome said, looking over at her. "She's too shy to ask you herself, we're glad _you_ came out and asked," Eri said. Ayumi seemed to loom in the background, just watching with wide brown eyes.

Hojo gave everyone a wide grin. "Gee, I'm so glad then. I'll see you on Friday Kagome, after school," he said, walking away slowly. Once he was gone, the two girls crowded around Kagome, pulling her down a little as they looked at her aggressively. "Don't screw this shot up Kagome. Hojo really likes you and he's the cutest and nicest guy in school. You're going on this date whether we have to drag you there or not. That bad boy doesn't deserve a girl like you, so just forget about him!" Yuka shouted.

Kagome didn't bother arguing with them, especially since their minds were set on her date. _There's no way of avoiding this one, so just let it slide,_ Kagome told herself as she continued to walk down the hall with her friends.

They reached the front entrance as Kagome paused, thinking about Ichigo. _The last thing I want is for my friends to see Ichigo, that's just another boy they're going to bug me about._

"Oh guys, I need to go home alone today," she said. "How come?" Ayumi asked.

"I have a friend that's coming over."

Eri and Yuka's eyes sparked as they looked at Kagome curiously. "Is this friend of yours another boy?" they asked.

"Calm down guys. Yes it's a boy, but nothing's going on. We literally just met yesterday and he just wanted to show me something today. When he's done, I'm probably just going to go home," she explained. Yuka and Eri crossed their arms and shook their heads. "What's this boy's name?"

Kagome felt a little embarrassed saying his name, already knowing how her friends would react as she closed her eyes. "Kurosaki Ichigo," she said.

All three of her friends giggled as they covered their mouths. "Well obviously he's not that manly to have a name like that. Who names a boy 'strawberry'?" Eri laughed out loud. Ayumi blushed a little as she clapped her hands together. "Well I think it's kind of cute," she said. They laughed loudly as Kagome slouched her shoulders forward, making a sick face as she groaned. "Well now that you guys have had your fun I better get going," she said.

"Wait! We want to see what he looks like. We won't follow you or anything, but let us just see the guy first," they all begged. Kagome thought to herself. _Should I really let them see what the guy looks like? Will that cause more problems._ "Fine, you guys can see him, but promise not to criticize the poor guy," she said.

The three girls nodded, following Kagome outside. _I doubt Ichigo's here right now anyways. They'll probably get bored on the walk-_

"Kagome," she heard a male voice say. Kagome looked ahead and saw Ichigo standing on the sidewalk, clutching a handbag in his hand. Unlike the day before, Ichigo was in a high school uniform and didn't have that giant 'zanpakuto' with him.

Eri, Yuka, and even Ayumi eyeballed the fifteen year old as his orange hair blew in the wind. All three of them blushed as they pulled Kagome to the side. "What is it?" Kagome asked.

"You didn't tell us this guy was hot!" Eri shouted. "If Hojo sees you with this guy he's bound to get mad!" Yuka screamed. "And he's a muscular high school student. That's asking for Hojo to get jealous." Kagome looked over at Ichigo who was staring at the four girls with wide curious eyes. "I doubt Hojo will get jealous, we're not going to do anything anyways. He's older than me, and I know better than to get together with an older guy," she said. _Though Inuyasha about 200 years older than me,_ she giggled in her mind.

"Are you coming Kagome?" he asked. "Yes!" she shouted back.

Kagome left her friends standing there as she waved at them. Ichigo and Kagome walked down the sidewalk together, other middle school students walking by the two as they took steps down the gray pavement silently. Kagome decided to break the silence as she cleared her throat.

"So um Ichigo... what else did you want to show me?" Kagome asked. "Oh, I just wanted to show you one more thing I do as a shinigami. You already saw me slay a hollow, now I guess I can show you a live demonstration of konso," he said. Kagome nodded, watching as Ichigo led her into town.

The whole walk was silent as Kagome took a glance at the shikon jewel, wondering where this was going. Ichigo stopped walking, causing Kagome to bump into his back as she grimaced. "We're here," he said, looking down at her as he smiled a little. Kagome looked where Ichigo was pointing as she saw a dark ally way. "Down there?" she said. Ichigo nodded, walking into the ally way as Kagome followed. When they reached the end, Kagome saw a little girl sitting on the ground in fetal position. She was crying to herself with a faint voice.

Kagome noticed she was glowing a little as she stood there staring. "Can you see her Kagome?" Ichigo asked. "Yeah."

"She's a spirit," he told her. Kagome watched as Ichigo pulled a badge out from his pocket. He showed Kagome it as she observed it in his wide hand. "This is a substitute shinigami badge, I use this to detach my soul from my body and become a shinigami," he explained. Kagome nodded, soaking in all the information she could get.

Ichigo pressed the badge against his chest as his body fell, landing in Kagome's arms as she took a step back, trying to keep her balance. Ichigo stood in his shihakusho as he walked over to the little girl that looked up at him. "Hey," he said.

The girl looked up at him, wiping tears from her eyes. "Y-Yes?" she stammered quietly.

"What's wrong?" he asked. The little girl stood up, looking down at her feet before responding. Kagome noticed the chain hanging lifelessly on the girl's chest, her eyes dead. "My Mommy was driving home from work with me, and I fell asleep in the car. But when I woke up she was gone and I couldn't find her," she said. Ichigo pulled his zanpakuto out, still smiling at the girl. "I can help you find your mommy if you want," he said. The girl nodded as she closed her eyes.

Ichigo pressed the hilt of his sward to the girl's head as she turned into a tiny blue orb, hovering into the sky as she eventually vanished. Kagome looked up at it, seeing the little girl going into heaven now as she smiled a little. "Well that was nice," Kagome said. Ichigo placed his zanpakuto on his back as he converted back to his original frown. "It's what I do pretty much everyday," he said.

They were silent as Ichigo took a few steps over to Kagome, ready to retrieve his body when suddenly something happened.

"Kagome!"

* * *

><p><strong>Cliff Hanger!<strong>  
><strong>I hope this chapter wasn't bad. I'd like to thank the reviewers, and I hope to see more. This chapter was basically for Kagome. Now she knows what Shinigami's are, and the real fun can begin now. Stay Tune~<strong>  
><strong>(^-^)**


	3. Yasashii Kimochi

**A/N: Konnichiwa everyone. Now that Ichigo explained to Kagome what a shinigami is, the real fun can begin. This chapter was kind of fun to type. I hope you enjoy it. Have Fun~**

**P.S. Yasashii Kimochi means 'gentle' or 'sweet & nice'**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3: Yasashii Kimochi<strong>

"Kagome!" they both heard. Kagome looked behind herself, Ichigo's empty body still in her arms. Her eyes grew wide as she saw the culprit or rather _culprits_ who had shouted her name. "Ichigo," she said, looking over at him. "Don't worry, I'm in my spirit form. Unless they have high spirit energy, they can't see me," he explained.

She sighed out of relief, looking over at Eri, Ayumi, and Yuka. They stared at Kagome with shocked faces as Kagome blushed a little, seeing this position and angle with Ichigo's body made everything look wrong in their eyes. Kagome dropped his body immediately, waving her hands around as she sweat a little out of nausea. Ichigo's body tumbled to the ground as he stared at it. "Hey my body!" he shouted, kneeling beside it.

"It's not what it looks like guys!" she shouted. "Then what is it Kagome? If you're going out with the guy why couldn't you have just told us?" Eri asked, her hands on her hips as she stared at Kagome with a bitter expression. "We're not going out I promise," she said.

"Then what were you two doing down here?" Yuka asked. Ichigo went back into his body as he sat up, rubbing his now dirty head as he looked over at the girls. "Relax, we weren't doing anything. I fell down and Kagome helped me up. Nothing else happened alright?" he said in a choleric tone, causing her friends to tense up a bit from his hostile stare.

"Hey, why were you guys following us!" Kagome shouted.

"We were curious, we wanted to know if something funky was going on with you two," Eri shouted back. "But since they're isn't, I guess we'll leave you two here then. Remember you have that date on Friday Kagome," Yuka said.

All of her friends waved at her, running away before Kagome could say otherwise. Kagome groaned, looking down at her brown shoes as she sighed. "You're friends seem really annoying," Ichigo said.

"They seem annoying sometimes but they're actually really good friends. They only act like that because they care about me and they want the best for me. They're like sisters," Kagome said, looking up at the clouds as she smiled happily. Ichigo sighed, walking down the ally as Kagome followed. "I can walk you home if you want," he said. Kagome blushed.

"You don't have to walk me home," she said. "It's the least I can do," he said.

Kagome nodded, walking down the sidewalk with him as the sun set in the horizon, peach colored clouds drifting across the orange sky. "You know," Kagome began. "Shinigami's seem really cool. You can help people and everything, not to mention you're really strong," she complimented.

"Well it's not all it's cut out to be. Fighting hollows can be a pain in the ass sometimes. And being a shinigami has it's own problems... there are things that I regret ever since I became one," he said. Kagome looked up at him, her eyes brown and wide. "What sorts of things?" she asked.

"I've-"

Before he could say what he had to say, Kagome tripped over a crack in the sidewalk. She tipped over, yelping silently as she expected to crash into the hard ground. But, Ichigo grabbed her arms before she could fall, causing her to lean there for a moment before he pulled her to him.

"Are you OK?" he asked, letting go off her arms as they stared at each other for a little. Kagome took a few steps away from him, completely ashamed of herself. "Kagome-"

"Oh Ichigo look at the time. My Mom is going to be really mad at me if I don't get home right now. I'll talk with you tomorrow!" she said. "Bye!"

Kagome ran away as fast as she could, leaving Ichigo who looked at her oddly, wondering what happened as he sighed loudly.

That's when Ichigo saw something sparkling on the ground. Ichigo looked down and saw a necklace resting by his feet. He picked it up as he observed it, wondering what it was. _Is this Kagome's?_ he asked himself. He then remembered seeing Kagome wearing this around today. _Oh, it's her necklace... it must of came off when she tripped._

Ichigo looked down the sidewalk. Kagome wasn't anywhere near him anymore, she just bolted home as he continued to look at the tiny necklace. He noticed it wasn't fully circular, as if it were broken. What really caught Ichigo's attention was the weird spiritual energy coming from it. It seemed strong, almost strong enough to make him want to drop it on the ground. As he stared at it, his insides turned and his head hurt, almost as if he were getting a cold. He knew something was wrong with this necklace as he found himself staring at it for a few minutes. _What's wrong with this thing?_ he thought to himself.

_Kagome?_

**...**

Kagome arrived at home as she slammed the door shut, trying to catch her breath as she slipped her shoes off. Her face was still red, not knowing why as she leaned against the door. Her mom walked out of the kitchen and saw her. "Welcome back Kagome," she said.

"Hi Mom," she responded. "Is something wrong?" her mom asked, walking over to Kagome as she placed her hands on her daughter's arms. "Oh nothing, just school is all," she said.

"Oh, well if you need to talk about anything just tell me Kagome," she said. Kagome started walking up the stairs as she waved a little at her mom, getting into her bedroom as she closed the door. _I feel so stupid for running away like that. He probably wouldn't have noticed anything if I'd staid,_ she thought, smacking herself on the head as she took a few steps to her window.

Kagome began to think about Inuyasha, then about Ichigo. _They seem alike in a way,_ she thought, smiling as she stared up at the clouds. _I wonder what Inuyasha's thinking about right now? He's probably thinking about Kikyo, I wouldn't be surprised._

She pouted, lifting a hand up so she could feel for the jewel shard. Kagome quickly noticed it wasn't there as she felt around her neck a little more. She began to grow wary as she looked down and noticed it wasn't there. Kagome checked her skirt pocket and saw it wasn't there either. _Oh no, where could it have gone?_ she thought.

Kagome literally turned her bedroom upside down as she looked all over the place. She felt like crying when she couldn't find it, getting on her knees as she looked around her now messy room. _Inuyasha's going to be so mad at me if I don't find it,_ she thought. _I don't sense it in my bedroom, maybe I dropped it somewhere,_ she assumed.

_But what if someone stole it? I know I can sense the jewel shards but I can't just go snooping around someone's house if someone really did steal it. Maybe I just misplaced it somewhere, I might have left it at school or maybe-_

"Kagome, dinner's ready," her mom shouted. Kagome stood up, walking down the stairs as she walked past her mother without saying a word. Kagome ate her dinner silently, not wanting to talk about her current dilemma as Souta and Gramps stared at her, taking small bites of the kuri and rice that sat on their plates. "So Kagome, did anything happen at school today?" her mom asked, sipping her hot tea.

She decided to avoid talking about the jewel shards as she brought up another conversation. "Y-Yeah. I met a boy, he's really nice," Kagome said.

"_Another_ boy? Who is it this time?" Gramps asked. "He's a grade ahead of me, though we're the same age. His name is Kurosaki Ichigo," she said. Her brother laughed a little, his mouth full of food as he swallowed slowly. "Ichigo? That's a pretty girly name, are you sure it's not a girl instead?" he joked.

"That's what my friends thought at first too. Once you see him you'll think otherwise," she said.

Kagome finished eating as she brought her plates over to the sink, placing them inside as she stood there for a moment._ I'm sure if I get a good night's rest I'll find the shikon jewel tomorrow. But Hojo and I are suppose to be going on a date tomorrow... I guess I'll have to look afterwards then._

"I'm going to bed guys," Kagome said, walking up the stairs as she went back into her bedroom. Kagome changed into a button up pink pajama shirt and slipped her matching pink pajama pants on as she sat on her bed. Kagome turned the lights off, resting her head on the soft, plushy pillow as she closed her eyes.

**...**

"Good luck Kagome," her friends cheered for her as she walked over to Hojo, waving at them as they walked out of the school. When Kagome woke up this morning, she looked around the neighborhood for her jewel shard, but couldn't find it. A_fter this date I'll go looking for it,_ she told herself.

"Kagome, is something wrong?" Hojo asked, looking at her with a worried expression. "Oh, I'm fine," she commented.

Hojo sighed as they waited for the crosswalk light to turn green, the sidewalks crowding up. "That's a relief, I was thinking you were sick or something. I never really get to go on a date with you because you're always gone," he said. "Well don't worry, I'll be fine."

They walked down the street together, and Kagome zoned out the whole time when Hojo talked about different medicines for her 'health' and random things she didn't really care about. He rambled on for about thirty minutes, and Kagome was wondering when they were going to arrive at this cafe he was talking about._ Maybe I should just call it off, that way I can look for the jewel shard._

"Hey, are you in there Kagome?" he chuckled. Kagome blinked and noticed they were standing in front of some coffee shop. It was made entirely out of bricks and glass windows as she saw the inside which had oval glass tables and metal chairs with cushions all over the place. "We're here sleepy head," he said.

Kagome nodded, watching as he opened the door for her. Kagome thanked him and looked around the place, seeing it was completely brown as soft music came out of the speakers. "This place is really nice, they serve nice coffee here," Hojo said, walking over to one of the window seats as Kagome followed.

The place smelt like fresh coffee and doughnuts as she itched her nose, trying not t sneeze. "Oh no, are you sick Kagome?" he asked.

She was getting awfully annoyed with that question that seemed to come out of his mouth _every_ day. "I'm fine Hojo," she said. He sighed once more, watching as a lady in a brown skirt and gray sweater walked over to them. "Would you two like anything?" she asked.

"Can I have a cup of coffee?" Kagome asked. "Me too," Hojo responded. "Would you like anything else?"

They both shook their heads 'no' as the lady walked into a room behind the front counter. Kagome stared out the window as she got this odd feeling in her gut. _What is this feeling right now?_ she thought. _It's as if I can suddenly sense the shikon jewel getting closer and closer._

"You seem to be zoning out a lot Kagome, I hope I'm not being boring or anything," Hojo said quietly, almost like a small whimper. Kagome noticed she was making him feel a little bad as she shook her head. "No no, it's alright Hojo. You're not being boring, there's just a lot on my mind right now. Trying to balance school work and being... sick all the time. It's kind of hard," she said.

"I get what you're saying. Being sick can be a pain sometimes, but I'm sure you'll get through," he said. The same lady from before came back with took cups of coffee in her hands. "Here you two go," she said. "Thanks," Hojo said.

Kagome blew on her cup a little as she held it with both hands, her face turning a little red from the heat as she sipped it, her eyes closed. _This is nice,_ she thought, drinking the coffee thoroughly as she smiled slightly, letting the warm liquid fill her lungs as she gulped every sip down slowly.

Suddenly, something extremely loud slammed against the window, causing it to vibrate a little as everyone in the cafe gasped, looking over at Kagome and Hojo's window. She choked on her coffee as she coughed, grabbing her throat as she tried to catch her breath. "Are you alright Kagome? The wind must have been really hard just now," Hojo said.

"I'm alright-"

Kagome cut herself off when she saw what was outside the window. Her eyes grew wide and her heart sank into her stomach. She wanted to be invisible right now. _My life sucks..._

* * *

><p><strong>Who or What was at the window? Was it a hollow, maybe Ichigo, or Inuyasha, maybe a demon? It could be anything, and you'll have to read the next chapter to know what lies across the glass. Stay Tune~<strong>


	4. Secrets Blown Away

**A/N: Welcome back, I'm sure you all are wondering what Kagome saw on the last chapter (that's obviously why you're still reading), and now you get to see. I read some of the reviews and saw that pedo bear one, and I must say I lol'd at that.  
>Very important things happen on this chapter that you won't want to miss. It's gonna be great. Enjoy~<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4: Secrets Blown Away<strong>

"Um Kagome... what are you staring at?" Hojo asked, looking out the window along with her as he just saw cars driving down the road, not a sign of life anywhere. Kagome said nothing, she just stared, getting more and more embarrassed each second that passed. Outside the window was Ichigo who was giving her a very scary looking scowl as he pressed his hands and forehead to the window. Being he was in his shinigami state, no one could see him but Kagome.

After a few seconds of staring (which felt like hours), Kagome looked over at Hojo. "C-Can you excuse me for a moment Hojo, I need to do something real quick," she said, running out the front door. Kagome sprinted over to Ichigo as she grabbed the sleeve to his shihakusho, pulling him away from the window.

"Ow! What's the deal Kagome?" he asked, taking his arm away from her iron grip. "What's the deal- You're interrupting my date, that's the deal! And why did you slam into the window like that anyways? You literally gave everyone a heart attack," she shouted. _If he were Inuyasha I'd be telling him to sit right now,_ Kagome thought.

"I didn't want to walk into the store and get you. I figured if I knocked on the glass you'd see me," he said. Kagome didn't want to say how stupid that idea was when he could have just tapped on the glass a little or try and wave at least.

"Either way, what do you really want. I can't talk right now because Hojo's waiting for me if that's what you wanted to do-"

Ichigo cut her off by putting his fist in front of her. She looked down at his closed hand as she wondered what was in it. Kagome noticed that whatever was in his hand had a strong demotic aura seeping from it. He opened it as Kagome gasped, seeing the Shikon Jewel.

"You dropped this yesterday when we were walking home. I would have given it to you, but a friend of mines needed me to do something for her," he said. Kagome wrapped her arms around his neck as she pulled him into an embrace, squealing loudly as Ichigo jumped a little, his face turning red. "I'm so glad you found it," Kagome said.

She pulled away, fixing her uniform a little as she blushed herself. "So anyways here," he said, handing the jewel shard over as she wrapped it around her neck. "Thanks, I've been looking everywhere for this," she said. Ichigo nodded, looking over at the civilians that walked past them. "Yeah well it was no problem. Just don't lose that thing anymore. Gotta go," he said.

Like a good dream, he vanished into thin air, leaving Kagome standing there as she looked down at the jewel shard. Kagome walked back into the cafe as she sat down in her seat. "Sorry about the wait Hojo," Kagome said. Hojo stared at her with wide eyes, clutching the now empty coffee cup in his hands.

"Kagome, what were you doing out there?" he asked. "I saw you run past the window and you looked like you were grabbing something. Then you were talking to yourself," he explained. Kagome went completely pale as she stared at him dizzily. _He saw me?_

"Are you sure you're feeling alright Kagome?" Hojo asked. Kagome started laughing out of the blue, causing him to jolt a little. "I was just playing around with you Hojo," she lied. "I'm doing fine I swear, I was just trying to play a little trick on you."

"Oh, I got it," he exhaled a giant gulp of air as him and Kagome continued their date.

**...**

"Welcome home," Kagome's mom said, holding some newspapers in her hands as she faced her daughter. "Hi Mom. I'm going in my room," she said, walking up the stairs. Kagome closed the door, setting the jewel shards on her dresser as she stared out the window. The sun was setting, the sky purple as car horns filled the silence, wind blowing through Kagome's open window. _That was the worse date ever. I'd rather go on a date with Miroku,_ Kagome thought, looking down at her hands as she sighed.

"Kagome! I'm taking Souta to his friends house. Gramps is coming too. We'll be back in a little while," her mom shouted from downstairs. Kagome could hear the downstairs door close as she watched her family walk into the distance.

After a few minutes of staring out the window, Kagome walked down the stairs and then outside. She walked over to the sacred tree, the tree she'd first seen Inuyasha pinned to by an arrow Kikyo had shot at him. Looking at this tree brought back memories, but despite filling her head with all sorts of ideas, it also cleared her mind of anything evil. It made her feel more alive.

Kagome rested her hands behind her back as she stood their, staring wide eyed at the tree as the sun set across from it, as if hiding from her. She smiled to herself, the birds chirping as the wind blew her black hair a little.

Suddenly, Kagome heard something scurrying over to her directions as she turned around, sensing a strong demotic aura heading her way. She saw a hollow rushing over to her, closing in. Kagome gasped, as the spider looking hollow rushed over to her. She didn't have time to move away because it had come out so unexpectedly.

But luckily, the hollow was slain in front of her as it split into two pieces, crashing onto the ground. Kagome was trying to comprehend what just happened as she watched the hollow disintegrate and vanish into thin air. She was expecting to see Ichigo standing there, his zanpakuto resting on his shoulder as he scowled at her.

_No, this isn't Ichigo,_ Kagome thought to herself. She smiled brightly when she saw who it was.

"Inuyasha," she said happily. Inuyasha sheathed his Tetsusaiga as he walked over to her, his red kimono glistening in the light. "When did you get here?" Kagome asked.

"Just a second ago, I came out of the well and saw that demon rushing over to you," he said. _Oh right, back in the Feudal Era they all can see spirits... that means they can see Ichigo too,_ Kagome assumed, watching as Inuyasha stood beside her.

"Why are you here?" Kagome asked. "I came here to bring you back to the village. Naraku's not going to sit and wait for us you know," Inuyasha exclaimed. Kagome had forgotten all about Naraku, even though it had only been two days since she left. After finding out what the Soul Society was and the Shinigami situation, she'd almost forgotten it. _My testing is over so I guess I can go back._ "Alright Inuyasha, I'll go back. But let me go and pack my things. If I'm going to be there for awhile then I better get everything I need," she said.

Inuyasha nodded, following Kagome into her house as she sent him upstairs and into her bedroom. "Just stay in here while I go and get everything," Kagome said, closing the door behind her as she walked down the stairs to get her yellow backpack.

Her mom had already packed everything for Kagome the day she came back. Her bag was full of tempura, onigiri, tofu (yuck!), and a bunch of other snacks and goodies. Some of her school books were in there too, along with a change of clothes (a yellow sun-dress and flats). _I'll have to thank Mom when I get back,_ Kagome thought.

She zipped her backpack up and placed it over her shoulders. "Inu-"

Kagome was cut off when someone suddenly knocked on her door. _No one should be coming over right now,_ Kagome thought as she walked over to the door. Whoever was behind the door was extremely impatient as they practically punched the door. "I'm coming," Kagome shouted.

Right when she got to the door, it slammed open, banging against the wall hard as Kagome jumped back a little. "Hey!" she shouted, finally realizing who it was.

Inuyasha opened Kagome's door and rushed out as he ran to the stairs, his Tetsusaiga scrapping against her wood floor. "Kagome!" he shouted, running over to her side. She turned to look at him, her face pale. _I can't believe this is happening!_ Kagome thought.

"Who the hell are you?" Ichigo asked, pulling out his Zangetsu. "Why the hell should I tell you? What are you doing here?" Inuyasha taunted.

"Like I'm gonna tell you that-"

"Will you two stop!" Kagome shouted, raising both hands as she pushed the two boys away from each other. She looked at both of them, already prepared for this outcome as Ichigo and Inuyasha stared down at her. They were both just as confused as she was.

Ichigo rested his zanpakuto on his shoulder as he looked down at Kagome. "Do you mind explaining who this guy is Kagome?" he asked.

"Don't worry, I'll explain everything, but you both have to promise and keep this a secret... especially you," she pointed at Ichigo as he groaned. "Whatever," he responded.

**Thirty Minutes Later...**

It didn't take Kagome long to explain to Ichigo and Inuyasha about the situation. They both could comprehend everything easily because they've heard crazier things, so it made Kagome feel a lot better when she didn't have to point out every little detail to the two. Ichigo explained to Inuyasha that he was a substitute shinigami, meaning he was part human and part shinigami. He told him about the soul society and they're job to slay hollows and help innocent souls.

Inuyasha and Kagome explained to Ichigo about the well they use to travel to the Feudal Era, and the Shikon No Tama. They also told Ichigo about Naraku and the battle they're fighting because of the millions of jewel shards.

There was an awkward silence between the three when they were done explaining things, which left them wondering what they were going to do next. _Well, now that Ichigo knows about the Feudal Era, I guess I don't have to keep it a secret around him anymore,_ Kagome thought.

Kagome stood up and walked over to the door (they're in the dining room right now). "I need to use the restroom real quick. You two don't cause any problems OK?" she smiled, closing the door behind her as she walked away.

"So you're name is Ichigo?" Inuyasha suddenly asked, giving him a quizzical look. "That's right," he nodded.

"That's a pretty girly name."

Ichigo looked at Inuyasha angrily, smiling deviously to himself as he looked at Inuyasha's head. "It's not as girly as those dog ears of yours. Do you use that to get close to _all_ the girls you see?" Inuyasha grabbed the hilt of his sword as he grind his teeth together. "You want to go 'Strawberry'?" he shouted at him.

"No thanks, I don't like fighting people I heavily out match," he said. "Out match! My Tetsusaiga can totally kill your sword," he said. "That little thing? I can slice that into two in one blow," he said.

"You know what-"

They were both cut off when Kagome opened the door, the jewel shards around her neck along with her backpack hanging limply on her back as she smiled at the both of them. "I'm back," she said happily. Kagome walked over to Inuyasha as she stood by his side, glancing at Ichigo as he crossed his arms.

"So Ichigo, before you got here I planned on going back to the Feudal Era. So don't be surprised if I'm not back in a few days OK?"

"Wait Kagome, I wanted to ask you something," he said, taking a few steps over to her. "If you're battling this guy named Naraku in the Feudal Era, maybe I can come and help," he said. Kagome looked at him, surprised he asked if he could come. "When you told me about your war with Naraku, it sounded as if you needed another sword. I'm willing to help you guys out."

Kagome placed a finger to her chin as she thought to herself. _Should I take him to the Feudal Era? Sure he'd be a lot of help but it seems like too much trouble for him to come. And what if he can't come through the well anyways? I don't even know how strong Ichigo is or if he can help out-_

"Kagome." She looked up at him, her cheeks turning a shade of pink when he stared deeply into her eyes. "Our fates are already intertwined, so why don't we help each other out?" he asked.

"Fine, you can come. But I must warn you about the well. For some reason, only certain people can travel through it, so don't be surprised if you can't travel through," she added. Ichigo nodded, following Inuyasha and Kagome out the door as they went into the shrine house.

The place was as empty as usual, barely any light reached the small well (especially since it was night time) as dust hovered in the air. Kagome pointed at the well, looking over at Ichigo before speaking. "That's the well over there. All you have to do is hop down and you should pop up in the Feudal Era," she explained.

"Alright then let's get going!" Ichigo ran over to the well and hopped over the ledge. Kagome expected him to slam into the ground, but she was shocked to see a blue light rise from the well. _Did he really make it?_

* * *

><p><strong>I hope this chapter wasn't bad. I thought it was bad... :(<br>The next chapter has a bit of action in it though, so if you're here for the fights then you won't want to miss the next chapter. See You Soon~**


	5. Ambush

**A/N: If you guys are confused about the time of date in this fanfic, for Ichigo, it takes place after he saved Rukia and far enough to where he got his hollow mask, but no further than when Orihime left. Inuyasha takes place before the Final Act season, but Naraku has most of the jewel shards with him. If you have any other questions please PM me and I'll answer them immediately. Now that Ichigo's in the Feudal Era, the real entertainment will begin. Enjoy~**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5: Ambush<strong>

Kagome walked over to the well as she looked down, astonished to see that Ichigo wasn't there. "He really made it," Kagome proclaimed. "I didn't think he'd actually pass through, I thought only you and I could do it," she said. Inuyasha grabbed Kagome and placed her on his back as he stood on the ledge of the well.

"Good, he made it through then. Maybe he's not all talk after all," Inuyasha said, hopping down the well as they passed through the line between present Japan and the Feudal Era.

**In the Feudal Era...**

Shippo sat on the well, looking down it with melancholy eyes, fiddling a green leaf in his hand as Myouga sat on his shoulder. Sango leaned against a tree as she pet Kirara's head, Miroku standing next to her with his Shakujou Staff in his hands.

The sun was setting and everyone was getting hungry. "Come on Shippo, we should get heading back now. Kaede is making supper for us," Sango said, walking over to Shippo as she stood there. "Yeah I know... but what's taking Inuyasha so long. He should have been back with Kagome by now," Shippo said, peering over the ledge as he looked down the well. It was too dark to see anything, so he only sighed and continued to stare down at it.

"They'll be back Shippo, it's not the first time this has happened," Miroku said.

Suddenly, Shippo heard grunting coming from the bottom, and the vines on the side of the well were moving around a little. "They're back!" Shippo shouted, looking over at Sango and Miroku excitedly. He looked down in the well again, only to slam his head on something really hard. He yelped, falling onto the soft grass as his head throbbed, Myouga falling as well as he hopped over to Shippo's aid. "Are you OK Shippo?" Myouga asked.

Sango stared aggressively at the well as she saw someone she didn't recognize climb out of the well. "Who's that?" Miroku asked, grabbing his staff with both hands as Sango grabbed her Hiraikotsu (boomerang).

"Man, who knew time traveling made you that dizzy," Ichigo exclaimed, climbing out of the well. He was completely unaware of the people staring at him with weapons. "Who are you?" Sango asked. Ichigo turned as he waved his hands around frantically. "Oh wait, I'm not-"

Sango dashed over to Ichigo, swinging her giant boomerang at him as he hopped out of the way. "I'm not here to hurt you guys... even though I have no clue who you guys are," he said.

"His demotic aura is off the charts. It's almost higher than Naraku's," Miroku said. "I know, it's hard to breath in."

Inuyasha shot out from the well as he walked over to Sango and Miroku, setting Kagome down as they looked over at Ichigo who was ready to pull his zanpakuto out. "Quit fooling around you guys," Inuyasha said. "He came with us OK. He's not going to attack you guys or anything."

Sango put her weapon away and stared at Ichigo with beady eyes. _I don't like the looks of him,_ Sango thought as she walked over to Miroku's side. "Kagome who is he?" he asked.

"Is he a demon?" Sango asked. "No, he's human. Why don't we all go to Kaede's place, I'll explain everything in there alright guys?" Kagome said.

"I don't know if we should bring him into the village. His demotic aura is strong, the villagers are bound to notice him," Sango said. "Well if anyone ask we'll just say he's an allie," Inuyasha said, walking down the pathway. Kagome grabbed the hem of Ichigo's shihakusho as she chased after Inuyasha, Shippo and Myouga following. Sango stared at Ichigo, getting a odd feeling from him as she looked up at Miroku. "I don't know about this. Everything about that guy seems off. Are you sure we should trust him?" Sango asked.

"He seems fine to me, but if he does anything I'm sure Inuyasha will deal with him personally."

Miroku and Sango followed Kagome and the others to the village in silence, Ichigo's spiritual pressure and demotic aura being noticed by everyone... even Naraku himself.

**...**

The sun was completely down now, millions of stars looming in the sky as the tree leaves made rustling sounds in the night air. Ichigo sat on the roof, staring at the woods as his neon orange hair blew in the wind, his face as serious as always. Shippo sat near the window, sucking on a lollipop as Sango sat by him, keeping an eye on Ichigo. Miroku and Kagome chowed down on some stew next to Kaede as Inuyasha slept in the corner.

Kagome had explained everything to everyone, and they now understood everything about Kurosaki Ichigo. Most of them were pleased that he volunteered to help them out with Naraku, and some of them were still very leery of this whole situation.

"So he's a spirit, just like Kikyo?" Kaede asked, slurping down her stew. Kagome nodded, placing her empty bowl down as she looked over at Sango and Shippo, Kirara coming over to her as she smiled. "Do ye really trust this boy enough to allow him to help ye?"

"Well, I actually do. When we first met, he saved me from a demon (she refuses to call them hollows in front of her friends), and despite the fact that we just met, he told me everything about himself. I only thought it would be fair if I brought him here. In a way, I do trust him."

Kaede sat up, walking over to the pot she had bowling over a fire. "Well the choice be ye's Kagome."

They suddenly heard screaming from outside as everyone shot up, looking over at the door. Ichigo hopped off the roof and ran inside. "What's going on?" Inuyasha asked.

"There's a swarm of demons heading over," Ichigo said. Sango, Miroku, Kagome, Inuyasha and Ichigo ran out as they saw more than a hundred demons rushing over to the village. "They must have sensed Ichigo's demotic aura," Sango said.

Inuyasha pulled his Tetsusaiga out as he smiled, obviously getting cocky. "It's nothing I can't handle, I'll kill them all before they even get here," he said. Many of the villagers were hiding in their homes, waiting for the demons to leave as Inuyasha took a few steps forward. "Stay back Kagome," he said. Kagome nodded, running over to the house as she waited for everything to be over. When she got there she grabbed her bow and arrows.

"Tetsaig-"

Inuyasha was cut off when Ichigo hopped in front of him. "Hey, get the hell out of the way!" he shouted.

Ichigo pulled his zanapkuto out as the bandage brushed against the ground. "There's too many for you to fight. Get out of the way and let me handle it-"

"Shut up!" he shouted. Everyone grew silent as they stared at him, the only sounds were the demons. "So far, you guys think I'm weak. You don't think I can step up to the challenge and help you guys, am I right? Some of you don't even want me to be here. Truth is, I never showed you guys anything I possessed, I'm a lot stronger than I look you know."

Ichigo placed both hands on his sword as he looked at the demons. "Now please, let me show you guys my worth."

_He's going to get himself killed,_ Inuyasha thought as he set his sword down. Ichigo lifted his sword dramatically, everyone watching him as he closed his eyes. Kagome could see the blue looking demotic aura literally consuming his sword as his spiritual energy rose. "It's as if his demotic aura is rising," Sango thought aloud, using her boomerang to keep balance in this strong spiritual pressure filling the air.

Ichigo took a big gulp of air as he opened his eyes, staring at the demons as he saw them getting closer.

"Getsuga Tensho!" Ichigo swung his zanpakuto as a blue fang shot out from it, moving as fast as lightning. It hit all the demons as they vanished into thin air. When the light was gone, there wasn't a trace of demon left. Everyone stared in shock as they now realized how strong Ichigo really was.

Ichigo set his sword down, looking over at everyone who practically had their mouths open. "What's the problem?" he asked.

_The more I look at him, the more I think he's a demon,_ Sango thought. Ichigo scowled at everyone, wondering what was wrong. "Why are you all staring at me like that? The job's done, now we can go to bed or something-"

Kagome saw a shadow moving over to Ichigo at a fast speed. "Ichigo look out!"

Ichigo turned around, but it was already too late. Everyone stared as blood spilled onto the beige colored grown, staining it as everyone froze. Three tentacles had been shot through Ichigo's chest, opening his Shihakusho a little as it exposed bare bloody chest. Ichigo lowered his head a little, looking down at the tentacles as his blood poured out like a bucket of water. His body tensed up and he couldn't move, sweat dripping down his face as his brown eyes grew wide.

The tentacles were yanked out of his chest as he gasped, coughing up blood as he used his sword for support. "Ichigo," Kagome shouted, running over to him as she placed her hands on his shoulders.

Inuyasha lifted his sword when he saw Naraku retrieving his tentacles as they sank into his baboon outfit. A few poisonous insects hovered around him as he laughed to himself. "Naraku," Sango said.

"What are you doing here?" Inuyasha shouted. "I felt a strong demotic aura coming from this boy, and I expected a challenge after observing him take out all those demons in one blow. Too bad, I guess that strength is just to show for those weaker than him," he mocked.

Ichigo used his zanpakuto to turn himself around as he smiled a little, staring directly at Naraku. "So, you're this Naraku guy I've been hearing about?" he asked. "In that case I guess it's alright if I kill you right here and now."

Kagome was amazed when Ichigo ignored his wounds and lifted his sword up. "Getsuga-"

He was cut off when his wounds got the better of him. More blood spilled out as he dropped his zanpakuto to the ground. His head started throbbing too, then he knew.

**What's the matter king? Aren't you suppose to be the dominate one here?** his inner hollow asked. Ichigo could tell he was smiling right now, which utterly disgusted him. _I don't need your side comments, I can handle this by myself,_ Ichigo shouted to him.

**At this rate I'm slowly gaining control again. And this place has more things for me to kill too.** Ichigo fell to one knee and placed a hand on his head as he tried to control his hollow from suddenly breaking out. _I'm not going to let you take my body, I'm not going to put everyone in danger again!_

Kagome aimed an arrow at Naraku as she shot it at him. Naraku hopped out of the way as he looked over at Inuyasha who swung his Tetsusaiga at him, releasing an attack as Naraku fled, leaving them to their demise. After Naraku took a look at his moves, he thinks he can use Ichigo, and his powers against Inuyasha and the others.

* * *

><p><strong>The end, well I hope you enjoyed. The next chapter is even better (action better!) Enjoy~<strong>


	6. Ghost Town

**A/N: What I've noticed about Inuyasha and Ichigo's abilities is that if they ever fight, it'd most likely be a draw. In a battle of speed, strategy, and combo attacks I think Ichigo would win. But in a battle of pure strength (with swords) I think Inuyasha would win. Now if Inuyasha was in demon mode he'd probably win with strength and speed, but if Ichigo was in hollow form, I'd think he'd win with power, speed, and psychotic sword swinging. It all depends**  
><strong>This chapter is going to be great, Enjoy~<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6: Ghost Town<strong>

It didn't take long for Naraku to reach his temple. Surrounding the temple was a violet colored barrier that kept out people like Inuyasha and his friends. Naraku landed inside as he walked over to the first door of his temple. When he got inside, he shed from his baboon coat, which fell to the ground brushing against his ankles. Naraku walked over to a shelf that had a bunch of candles on it. Near the candles was the Shikon No Tama which rested on a tiny pillow, gleaming bright gray as he smiled at it.

He thought about Ichigo, and his demotic aura. _It's almost stronger than mines, yet when I observed his abilities he didn't seem that strong at all. That obviously means he's hiding something from his friends,_ Naraku smiled. He wanted to know what he had in him, if he was a bigger threat than Inuyasha or not.

Naraku even remembered feeling something awkward coming out of Ichigo after he tried to swing another Getsuga Tensho at him. It was as if his demotic aura had staggered and went just as dark as the jewel shards Naraku had in his possession.

"Naraku," he suddenly heard. Naraku turned and saw Kanna standing before him, looking as white as ever as her dead black eyes stared directly into his red eyes. "Did you find out what that demotic aura was sir?" she asked.

"Yes, and since you asked, I'd like for you to do something for me," he said. Just thinking about this plan mad him smile evilly.

**...**

The sun slowly rose from behind the green hills, making the sky a peach color as ivory colored clouds drifted across the sky like birds. Villagers were just waking up, getting ready to start farming for the day. Kaede and Kagome tended Ichigo's wounds as he lay sleeping on the ground. They were the only two up right now, so things were really quiet.

Kagome stared at Ichigo's bare chest which was wrapped in bandages. She noticed he was more muscular than Inuyasha, and she had to catch herself and try not to stare._ It's weird how a fifteen year old can be this strong. It makes me wonder what kinds of things he did before I met him,_ Kagome thought.

"I'm surprised," Kaede suddenly said. "A boy at his age doing things like this." Kagome nodded, pressing down on his wound as he cringed a little. "It's amazing, these wounds aren't even fatal for him, despite going through his rib cage," Kagome said, pressing down again.

Ichigo yelped, shooting up as he looked around. As soon as he shot up, he grabbed his gut, almost forgetting he'd gotten hurt. "Good morning Ichigo," she said. Ichigo laid back down looking over at Kagome as he smiled. "Hey," he said.

"You were pretty reckless yesterday, but luckily these wounds aren't really anything serious. Once everyone wakes up we plan on leaving," she said. Ichigo sighed, looking over at his zanpakuto which was leaning against the wall. "Alright then, I'm sure I'll be fine by the time we go."

"Are ye hungry?" Kaede asked. "Ye skipped supper the day before."

"Oh, in my shinigami state, the higher your spiritual pressure is the less food you have to eat. I could skip dinner for a week and still not be hungry," he bragged. Kagome pressed down on his wound again, causing him to cringe once more. "Calm down," Kagome said. "You deal with wounds like Inuyasha does... You two are so alike."

Inuyasha was sitting in the corner near the door as he heard everything, his eyes shooting open. "We are not alike. I'm way better than he is anyways," he said. Sango awoke angrily from her slumber as she grabbed an empty bowl and threw it at Inuyasha's head. "Can you keep it down!" she shouted.

That shout woke everyone up as they looked around the room. Shippo walked over to Kagome along with Kirara. "What's the matter Kagome?" he asked, rubbing his eyes as he looked down at Ichigo. "Oh nothing. It seems like everyone's awake, so how about we all get going," Kagome clapped her hands together.

Everyone stood up and got their things ready. Sango put her colorful kimono, covering her demon slayer outfit. Shippo made sure he had all his fox weapons, Kagome put her backpack on and held her bow and arrows. Miroku and Inuyasha already had all their things with them, so they stood by the door waiting.

Ichigo stood up, grabbing the top part of his shihakusho as he put it on, placing his zanpakuto on his back as he popped his shoulder a little. "Kagome do you have the jewel shards?" Inuyasha asked. Kagome nodded, looking down at her neck as she saw the Shikon Jewel hanging around her neck.

"We're leaving now Kaede, we'll see you soon though," Kagome waved a farewell before exited the small village home with her friends.

They left the village as they walked down the dirt covered pathway, the trees blowing in the wind as birds chirped peacefully. "So do you guys have a specific destination you're following or what?" Ichigo asked.

"Well um... technically we just go where ever the pathway takes us. If we run into trouble we take care of it. We're mainly looking for more jewel shards and Naraku's hide out, but we always tend to make side stops," Kagome said.

Ichigo closed his eyes and placed his hands behind his head. "Sounds pretty boring," he said.

They walked for about thirty minutes before reaching a village. It wasn't big, but there was a lot of people. Inuyasha suggested they keep moving, but Kagome wanted to eat. "Come on Inuyasha, it's only one stop, and we didn't eat breakfast yet," she pleaded.

"I'm sorry Kagome but I agree with Inuyasha. There will be plenty of other stops on the path ahead, and let's not stop at every single village we see," Miroku said. That's when Miroku saw a few girls walking into a building. He smiled, his mind filling with perverted thoughts.

"On second thought, maybe we should stay for awhile," he said. Sango punched Miroku on the head as it swelled up a bit. "If we stop here I promise we won't stop at the next village," Kagome bribed. Inuyasha groaned, crossing his arms as his dog ears twitched a bit. "Fine, but just to eat, we're not spending the night here or anything."

Kagome cheered, rushing over to one of the restaurants as Miroku quickly followed her. "Hey, wait a second you pervert!" Sango shouted, rushing over to Miroku as Kirara and Shippo followed. Ichigo just walked over there with Inuyasha.

Inside, everyone chowed down on some onigiri Kagome had in her backpack as Miroku drank a cup of sake. He sat by three women who were all over him, Sango staring at him like the devil herself. Inuyasha ate his onigiri like a dog as he shoved each one into his mouth.

Kagome looked over at Ichigo who sat outside, looking up at the sky as people scurried past him. "He's really antisocial isn't he?" Inuyasha commented. "I don't think he's antisocial, I'm sure he just doesn't want to bother us right now," Kagome said. "The further he's away from me the better," Sango said, drinking a water bottle Kagome had given to her.

"Why don't you like him? He's really nice," Kagome said. "I don't like the looks of him, and his demotic aura makes me nervous," she replied, setting her cup down as she walked into another room. "Ichigo, why don't you come in here," Kagome called for him.

Ichigo turned around and walked over, taking a seat next to her as he continued to stare out the door. "Is something wrong Ichigo, you seem really quiet today," Kagome said. "Oh, sorry. I thought I heard something," he said. Sango walked in and sat down next to Miroku. She heard everything, but she chose not to comment.

The silence was suddenly filled with a bloodcurdling scream. Everyone ran out the building as they saw a girl stumbling into the village, blood pouring out of open wounds as she looked like she was on the verge of collapsing.

Inuyasha hopped over to her before she fell to the ground. Kagome and the others followed him as they crowded the pour woman. "What happened?" Sango asked.

The girl from the village slowly opened her eyes as she grabbed her shoulder which was gushing blood. "M-My village... it was attacked," she stammered, her voice hoarse. "It seemed like an ordinary day... I was out getting w-water from the river when these two people came over and they-"

She cut herself off as she cried, covering her face with her bloody hands. "Do you know what the killers look like?" Inuyasha asked. "It was a lady in a kimono, she carried a fan with her and whenever she blew it someone would die."

"Kagura," Miroku said. Inuyasha brought the girl into the building they were in as they set the girl down. She'd passed out on the way there though. "Shippo can you watch her and make sure she's alright?" Kagome asked. Shippo nodded, walking over to the girl as he checked for her pulse.

"Kirara, you stay too," Sango ordered, taking her kimono off as she placed it over the girl so she'd stay warm. Kagome grabbed her arrows as she hopped onto Inuyasha's back. "Inuyasha, I sense a shard of the Shikon Jewel," she said.

Inuyasha smiled, now looking more forward into this quest. "Try and keep up, we don't have time to waste," he said, sprinting away as Miroku and Sango followed. Ichigo used flash step to catch up with everyone as they raced down the pathway.

As they got further into the forest, mist began to form. Pretty soon the mist was so strong that they couldn't even see anything two feet in front of them. "Why is there so much mist here?" Ichigo questioned. "I don't know, probably just one of Naraku's traps," Inuyasha responded.

They saw a few lights up ahead until they realized they were in the village. Kagome climbed off of Inuyasha's back, clutching her bow and arrows as she looked at all the dead bodies. She covered her mouth to keep from vomiting. "This is just sick," Miroku said.

Ichigo pulled his zanpakuto out. "Do you sense a jewel shard Kagome," he asked. Kagome nodded, looking at two different buildings. "There are at least two, in both of these buildings," Kagome stated. "Then we should split up. Kagome and I will go left, Ichigo, Miroku, and Sango... you guys go right."

Sango scoffed as she looked at Inuyasha. "Why do I-"

"Not now Sango," Inuyasha said, running over to the other building, vanishing in the mist. Sango groaned, following Miroku into the building as Ichigo trailed after them. They slid the door open as they found more bodies. The only difference was that there wasn't any blood, they were just randomly dead on the ground. "I don't have Kagome's jewel shard sensing powers, but I can tell there's a jewel shard in here," Miroku said.

Suddenly, a cracking noise echoed in the small house. Sango walked over to another door, slowing opening it as she held her boomerang out. Ichigo walked over to the room as he saw something moving in there. "I see something in there moving around," Ichigo said.

He took a few more steps inside as he finally saw who it was. A little girl stood before him, her hair as snow white as her skin. She looked like a ghost in all of this mist, and she held a mirror in her hands as Ichigo could see himself in it.

Sango and Miroku saw who it was and gasped. "Kanna!" they shouted. "Who the hell is 'Kanna'?" Ichigo asked, looking over at them.

"You're demotic aura and soul is too strong for my mirror to absorb," she said, her voice smooth but dark. Ichigo held his sword up as Kanna pulled her hand out. She placed her fingers behind her ear as she pulled something out. _What's she doing?_ Sango asked.

Kanna pulled a jewel shard out from behind her ear as she looked down at it. The jewel shard was completely black as the pressure coming from it was strong. "Become one with Naraku, Kurosaki Ichigo," she said.

"How the hell do you know my name?" he rudely asked.

In a mere second, Kanna shot the jewel shard at Ichigo. He gasped, jumping back from it. But it was too late, the jewel shard pierced his skin as it sank into his chest.

Sango threw her boomerang at Kanna as she took a few steps back, fading into the abyss. Ichigo looked down at his chest as the jewel shard glimmered a little, he wondered what was going to happen. That's when everything went wrong. The next thing Ichigo knew, he couldn't breath well. He fell to his knees as he started coughing loudly. His heart and his head throbbed painfully as he yanked at his orange hair.

Only then did he realize what was going on as his eyes began to bug out a little. _No! Not here... not now!_ he thought. Sango could sense his demotic aura going darker as she picked up her boomerang. "Miroku, something's wrong here," she whispered to him. Ichigo dropped his zanpakuto as it tumbled to the floor. He got on all fours as he tried to control himself.

"Hey Ichigo, are you OK?" Sango asked, having absolutely no emotion in her voice. Ichigo's breathing started to calm down as his body stopped shaking. His demotic aura was steady now, but very dark, much like Naraku's. He stood up, his head bowed.

Sango could hear him breathing, and his voice sounded different. "Hey, what's the matter Ichigo?" Miroku asked, walking over to him.

Ichigo picked up his zanpakuto before answering with a soft but psychotic laugh. **"Ichigo?"** he asked, his voiced sounded as if it were altered by a fan. He grinned widely as he opened his eyes. Miroku saw as they were pitch black, his pupils honey yellow. He stared at Miroku as he laughed a little more.

**"Ichigo's not here right now~"**

* * *

><p><strong>Buh, buh, buh. What is Shirosaki-dono going to do! The chapter is awesome! Stay Tune~<strong>


	7. Bloodlust

**A/N: It's hollow Ichigo versus everyone, and that's asking for a disaster to happen. Will they be able to take him on, or will the worse case scenario happen? You'll find out in this chapter. Enjoy~**

***Warning: Chapter rated M for violence and blood. You've been warned.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7: Bloodlust<strong>

Sango watched fearfully as a white mask appeared on the left side of his face, a few red stripes appearing on it like some sort of design. He smiled psychotically at the two as Miroku took a few steps back, watching as Ichigo turned to look at them. **"What's the matter?"** he asked playfully. Sango lifted her boomerang a bit, prepared to toss it at Ichigo as he stared at her weapon. **"You're not afraid are you?"**

"Something wrong here, he's acting completely different from before," Sango whispered to Miroku. Ichigo stared at Sango, making her uneasy as he smiled widely, his white teeth showing. **"Are you going to throw that at me, Sango?"** he asked.

"I had a feeling you were a demon, but this isn't what I imagined you'd be at all," she said. "What are you?"

He started laughing a bit. **"What am I? I'm no one!"** Ichigo vanished from their vision as Miroku and Sango looked around for him. "Where'd he go?" Miroku shouted, holding his staff up. He turned and saw Ichigo ready to swing his sword at Sango. "Watch out Sango!" he shouted, pushing her out the way as Ichigo's zanpakuto stabbed right through Miroku. He gasped, blood pouring onto the floor as he smiled at Miroku.

Ichigo slowly pushed the zanpakuto deeper into his body as it stabbed completely through, ripping through flesh and bone. Sango looked fearfully as she watched Miroku bleed to death. "Miroku!" she shouted. Ichigo could tell she was mortified by the sight of her beloved being this badly injured. Seeing the look on her face made him feel intrigued to slowly pull his sword out, causing more pain. He then yanked it out violently as blood painted the wall.

Miroku fell to the ground, his blood spraying every where. "You bastard!" Sango stood up as she swung her boomerang at Ichigo. He merely lifted an arm as he let the boomerang hit him, causing his arm to bleed a little as he stared at her.

**"Does it hurt? Seeing him on the ground like that? Maybe you'll feel better if I told you that you'll be joining him soon,"** he taunted.

Sango lifted her boomerang and swung it again. This time, Ichigo used his zanpakuto to hit it out of her hands, sending it flying in another direction. Sango pulled the sword she had hanging on the side of her waist out as she swung it at Ichigo.

He didn't even try to dodge as she cut his shoulder. Ichigo grabbed her sword and held it, his hands bleeding now. **"What are you so angry about? Let's have some fun with this. Ichigo never let's me join in on the fights, so I want to enjoy this."**

Just like that, Ichigo yanked her sword out of her hands as he dropped it to the ground. Another knife ripped from her sleeve as she swung it at his face. Ichigo moved his head out of the way as it scrapped his cheek. He grabbed her arm and yanked it, popping it out of place as she screamed. Ichigo pushed her to the wall as her back slammed against it.

**"What's the matter, I know this isn't the best you've got,"** he said. Sango didn't reply. She stared angrily at him, holding her numb arm as she looked into his yellow eyes, his mask spreading more across his face. He only used one arm to hold her body against the wall, his hand restraining her.

Ichigo lifted his zanpakuto as he pressed it against her neck, watching her head go up as his smile grew wider. **"With all those weapons I thought you'd be a lot more interesting than that,"** he said. Ichigo brought his face closer and closer to hers until their noses were brushing. His warm breath blew across her skin as it sent chills down her spine.

He smiled more, seeing she was really nervous as her body tensed up. He pressed his zanpakuto harder onto her neck until-

"Sango, Miroku!" Kagome shouted. Ichigo frowned, looking over at her. Sango pushed him out of the way as she ran over to Kagome.

Ichigo used sonido and vanished from everyone's sight, leaving them in the dark room. "What the hell happened in here? Did Ichigo do this?" Inuyasha asked. Sango nodded, popping her arm back into place as she yelped a little. "I knew we shouldn't have trusted him, he is a demon after all isn't he?" Sango asked.

"N-No," Miroku stammered. Sango fell to her knees as she went over to him. "Miroku, are you alright?" she asked, her voice broken like she were about to cry. "That wasn't Ichigo... he was being... possessed by a jewel shard. I-I saw Kanna shoot one into him before she left. He's kind of like you... Inuyasha. Having an inner demon and all."

Kagome was having a hard time imagining Ichigo doing something like this. She looked at Miroku's wounds, and then at Sango as her eyes shook. She wondered what Ichigo had been hiding from them this whole time he was here. _It's as if Ichigo has an inner demon inside of him, just like Inuyasha. And if the jewel shard is inside of him then-_

"We need to find a way to get that jewel shard out of him. Once we do that, I'm sure he'll turn back to normal," Kagome said. "Sango, you stay here with Miroku. Inuyasha and I will deal with this." Kagome and Inuyasha ran out of the building and back into the village.

The mist had lifted, the village now clearly visible. Inuyasha and Kagome had figured out that the other jewel shard they sensed wasn't there, which let them know this was all a trap. Kagome pulled out one of her arrows as she looked around. "I can sense the jewel shard, but I can't see him anywhere. Do you think he left?"

Suddenly, a black Getsuga Tensho was shot at them. Inuyasha and Kagome hopped out of the way as it smashed into a building. They looked and saw Ichigo, looking at them with a smile. Kagome saw his yellow eyes as her body shook, the white mask almost consuming his whole face. _He's just like a hollow,_ she thought.

Inuyasha saw him, he looked like a monster as the jewel shard shined brightly, completely pitch black. "...Is that really Ichigo?" Kagome stammered. "Well obviously, I recognize his scent covered in all that blood," he said.

"Ichigo, you've gotta snap out of it!" Inuyasha shouted. Ichigo started laughing, lifting his sword up a little as he stared at the two. **"Ichigo's too far for him to hear you right now,"** he said. **"I'm sure you guys will be more entertaining than my last fight right?"**

In a mere second, Ichigo hopped over to Inuyasha as he swung his sword at him. Inuyasha lifted his Tetsusaiga to block it as they both were sent flying backwards. **"Getsuga Tensho,"** he said in a low tone. A black Getsuga Tensho was shot at Inuyasha, sending him flying into another direction as blood splattered on the ground.

Kagome aimed an arrow at Ichigo as she looked at Inuyasha. "Stop this Ichigo!" she shouted.

She shot her arrow at him. It turned pink as the arrow shot like lightning, making a whistling sound as it went his way. _If I aim for the jewel shard then I should be able to break it out of him without killing Ichigo,_ Kagome thought.

Ichigo span around and moved out of the way as the arrow smashed into the ground. Kagome pulled another arrow out as she shot it at him. This time, Ichigo grabbed it with his bare hand as it shredded the skin off of it. Ichigo dropped the arrow as he shot over to Kagome.

He was ready to swing his zanpakuto at the girl, until Inuyasha swung his Tetsusaiga at him, releasing a 'wind scar'. Since he was cut off guard, Ichigo was hit by his attack. He shot out of it as he bounced off the ground and rolled a little, ripping his shihakusho and cutting his skin all over. Kagome ran over to Inuyasha who was leaning on his sword so he could keep from falling. "Are you alright Kagome?" he asked.

Kagome nodded, looking over at Ichigo who was just laying on the ground. "Do you think he's alright?" Kagome asked, grabbing Inuyasha's kimono as he squeezed the red fabric tightly. "I looked into his eyes, they didn't even look like his anymore. They looked like a monster's eyes, like he was a completely different person. I know I barely know him... but it's painful to look at him this way," she closed her eyes, not wanting to look at him like this.

"Well it's all over now-"

They heard the loudest scream they've ever heard as it pierced their eardrums. Ichigo stood up, his zanpakuto out of his reach as he stared at them. He look more monstrous than he did before now that he was bleeding badly. He jumped over to Inuyasha again, only this time he shoved his hand through his chest, stabbing completely through as Inuyasha coughed up blood.

"Inuyasha!" she cried, watching as Ichigo threw Inuyasha to the side. Kagome aimed another arrow at him, tears filling her eyes as she tried to aim at the jewel shard. Ichigo used sonido again to appear near her as he grabbed her by the throat. Kagome dropped everything as Ichigo slammed her onto a nearby building, strangling the life out of her as she grabbed at his arm, trying to pry it from her neck. You could hear the crunching from her throat as it restricted any air from coming in or out. Saliva and tears fell from her face as she slowly started to lose vision.

Kagome could see the jewel shard in his chest. She looked over at Inuyasha who was trying his best to crawl over to Kagome. After getting hit by a Getsuga Tensho, skidding on the ground a little, and getting a hand stabbed through his chest, he was really worn out. "K-Kagome..." he stammered.

She was ready to pass out as she looked into Ichigo's yellow eyes, looking as evil as the way he was acting. "P-Please stop..." she murmured.

Kagome reached a hand out for the jewel shard as she touched his collar bone with her pale trembling hand. The jewel shard turned bright pink as it shimmered a bit, dropping her hand as she stared at it.

Ichigo suddenly stopped strangling her as he just held her there for a moment. His eyes grew wide as they shook, staring at her with fear. He dropped her on the ground as he took a few steps back. Kagome watched as he staggered a little.

**"No,"** he said. **"Stop!"**

He reached a hand out for his mask as he started yanking at it. **"If you leave everything to me then we'll be the strongest ones out there!"** he shouted. The mask slowly began to rip of his face as Kagome could see a black shadow coming from it. **"Get the hell away from me... stop... no!"**

The mask ripped off completely, causing a long and loud scream to arose from Ichigo, filling the afternoon sky as the mask crumbled away. Ichigo's eyes converted back into normal as he panted. Ichigo looked down at Kagome who stared at him fearfully, Inuyasha doing the same.

His eyes were filled with sorrow, and he looked like he was ready to scream himself as he clinched his teeth. Sango helped Miroku out of the house as she looked at Ichigo, seeing he was back to normal. "Ichigo," she called.

Ichigo ran over to his zanpakuto and picked it up. Then, he ran away into the forest, leaving everyone behind as they stared at him. "I-Ichigo..." Kagome stammered, passing out as Inuyasha crawled over to her, Sango following him.

He didn't know why he ran away to be honest. Maybe because he was ashamed of himself, angry for hurting his friends like that. Ichigo didn't want them to see him, not right now. They'd only see him as a monster now, after hurting them like that. _How could I have been so weak?_ he asked himself. Ichigo knew better than to run away from his problems, he'd learned that a long time ago, but right now... he just couldn't bring himself to see them.

These wounds he'd gotten while fighting them throbbed, causing him to fall on his knees as he passed out on the ground. But right before he passed out, he saw a women walk over to him, holding a woven basket filled with ferns. She was dressed like a priestess and looked exactly like Kagome.

* * *

><p><strong>Poor Strawberry-kun, I feel so bad for typing this. But I hope it was entertaining (^!^)<strong>  
><strong>I think you all know who Ichigo ran into, so you get to see the outcome on the next chapter. Stay Tune~<strong>


	8. Untamed Soul

**A/N: Hm... I wonder what Kagome would look like as a hollow? I'm not putting that in the story though(I don't think I am -Izaya smile-), but I was just curious enough to put it down in the A/N. LoL**  
><strong>Enjoy~<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8: Untamed Soul<strong>

Ichigo slowly opened his eyes as he looked around to see where he was. He was in a small hut, his zanpakuto laying on the ground near the door next to the top of his shihakusho. Their were no windows, so the sunlight beamed down into the wooden building, warming the place up. In the corner was a bucket of water next to a few white towels and some herbs. Ichigo looked down at his chest and saw that it was wrapped up in bandages, along with his arms. He was glad to see his pants were still on (you don't want to know what he was thinking about), but he wasn't so glad to see the jewel shard gleaming in his chest.

He could remember everything that happened, and he wanted to scream in anger just thinking about it. _And the worst part is that I ran away. I can't believe I had been so weak as to leave them behind like that..._

He suddenly heard footsteps near the front door as he looked over, staring at a woman who looked just like Kagome. Ichigo remembered seeing her before he passed out in the woods, wearing the exact same outfit and hairstyle. Her pale skin glimmered in the light as her brown doe-like eyes stared at him, holding a great deal of compassion as she smiled brightly.

"I see you're awake, that's good," she said. The woman held a handful of arrows as they were pressed against her chest, brushing her miko outfit. She walked over to corner as she set the arrows down near the water.

"Where am I..?" he asked, rubbing his throbbing head as he looked out the window. "You don't have to worry about anything, you're safe now," she said. Ichigo sighed, figuring he didn't need to ask about where he was. _I'm obviously in a village._

"So you're the one who brought me here?" he asked, laying back down on the small, gray futon which had been placed for him. The woman nodded, walking over to him as she stared at his wounds. "It was strange when I saw you," she said. "I had sensed something coming from the woods near the village, so I went to go check things out. When I got closer, you came stumbling out of the bushes, gushing out blood. I was going to ask what happened, but you passed out. For a second I thought you were dead," she said.

Ichigo didn't realize how noticeable all that commotion was. "By the way, what happened, why were you injured?"

He closed his eyes, turning his head so he wouldn't have to face her. She realized how painful that question was as she reached a pale hand out for his hand, clutching it a little as she smiled. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. My name is Kikyo," she said.

Ichigo looked over at her as he sat up. "I'm Kurosaki Ichigo," he said.

Kikyo giggled to herself, causing him to blush a little as he pouted. Kikyo stood up and walked over to the window as she stared out of it. "Well you don't have to worry about a thing Ichigo. You're safe here," she said.

**...**

Time passed and the hut was quiet, Ichigo didn't really associate with Kikyo, she seemed like a really busy woman. The sun set and before long it was night, many of the villagers that had been constantly bugging Kikyo went to sleep, giving her time to finally settle down.

Kikyo walked back into the hut as she found Ichigo just sitting in the corner with his back turned to her, looking down at his lap. Kikyo wondered if that jewel shard in his chest had anything to do with that weird demotic aura she was feeling, but she chose not to ask. _He's only a boy, he's a little younger than I am I suppose. I don't want to pressure him so much, after finding him this badly hurt,_ she thought.

She walked over to the opposite corner as she cooked some stew in the pot of water she'd gotten. "You haven't talked all day," she said, thoroughly stirring the food as she looked over at him. Ichigo turned to look at her, his eyes tinted in a bit of sorrow as he gasped silently.

"I'm sorry, I was just thinking about something," he said, not bothering to stare into her eyes. Kikyo knew that whatever he went through really emotionally scarred him, and she tried her hardest not to ask what happened as she poured some stew into a bowl. She poured another one for herself (even though she was a spirit so she technically didn't need to eat).

She handed Ichigo the food as he stared at it, not looking like he was even going to try and eat it. "Thank you," he said, his voice empty from all emotion. Kikyo ate a little of her stew as he continued to stare at it.

"Thank you," he suddenly said again. "You already thanked me," she said.

"I meant thank you for helping me. I don't mean to be a burden to you either... so I'm thanking you for being so patient with me," he said, bowing his head a little. "You don't have to thank me, I'm just being generous. It was the least I can do too, after seeing you so hurt," she said, finishing the small portion of food she had as she set the bowl down beside herself. "Sorry," he said, setting his bowl down.

Kikyo frowned, taking his bowl as she ate it herself. Kikyo stood up as she dumped the clean water back into the river. When she returned she saw Ichigo laying down, trying to go to sleep already. Kikyo didn't know why he was so sad. _Whatever happened... who knew it would make someone this depressed and devastated._

She could feel his pain, and by seeing the jewel shard, it told her that no good could ever come from something like that. It's evilness only brings pain and misery, and that's why she sought for it's disappearance.

Kikyo took her hair out of it's ponytail as it fell past her waist, blowing in the winds that came through the door. For some reason, Ichigo's attitude was reminding her of Inuyasha's. _I'm sure if he were sad about something he'd act the same way._

The next morning, Ichigo woke up, seeing Kikyo standing outside with an empty basket in her hands. Ichigo sat up, rubbing his orange hair as he groaned a little. Kikyo turned to look at him as she smiled. "Good morning," she said. Ichigo could see two little kids scurrying around Kikyo as they smiled at her a little. "Kikyo are we going?" they both asked.

"Just a second you two," she said. Kikyo stared at Ichigo who was standing up from his futon as he walked over to his shihakusho. Kikyo observed as he slipped it on, fixing his outfit a bit as he looked at her. "Leaving so soon?" she asked. Ichigo walked over to her, standing maybe an inch taller than her. "I want to help you," he said.

Kikyo looked at him a little surprised. "Help? Are you sure?" she asked, wanting him to lay down and rest. Ichigo shook his head as he looked at the basket in her arms. "I want to repay you for the things you've done for me. It's the least I can do for making you work so hard," he said, smiling a bit as he stared into her brown eyes.

She made a whimsical expression, her mouth open a little as her pale cheeks turned a bright shade of pink. She then smiled once more as she nodded, letting Ichigo follow her out of the hut with the two children who skipped happily away. Ichigo hadn't been outside for who knows how long, so the sunlight blinded him a little as he rose a hand to shield the sun from his eyes. The village looked no different than the one Kaede was staying at, it actually looked the same. Ichigo began thinking they were back at the village.

Ichigo let Kikyo lead him into the woods as the kids followed after them. She didn't speak, she only walked down the pathway, her hair blowing in the wind as she kept that same peaceful expression on her face. Ichigo thought about how beautiful she looked, but whenever he looked at her he only saw Kagome.

_I wonder what Kagome is doing right now,_ he thought. Kikyo cut his train of thought off as she knelt beside a few shrubs, picking a few berries as she put them into the basket. "Ichigo, do you mind helping me. I'm making some traditional medicines and I need some herbs." Kikyo took one from her kimono as she showed him it. It was a green stem looking herb with a few green leaves sticking out of them. "They look like this, and they heal cuts and bruises," she said.

She handed it to Ichigo as he nodded, walking around the woods looking for the herbs. He found the two kids kneeling by some bushes, pulling the herbs he needed out. They looked up at him as they smiled. "Where you looking for these mister?" the little girl asked as she swayed around, her pony tail whipping in the air. Ichigo smiled at them as they handed him the herbs. There were more than he could carry as he stumbled a little, walking over to Kikyo who almost filled the basket completely with those red berries she'd been picking.

"Kikyo," he said. Kikyo turned as she saw how many herbs he had. He placed them in her basket as she looked down at all her materials. "Thank you, you're a really big help," she said. Ichigo turned red a little as he looked over at the two girls that were smiling and giggling at each other.

"Those kids did more work than I did, you should be thanking them," he said. Kikyo giggled a little, startling Ichigo. She didn't really seem like the kind of woman to be giggling as he looked down at his feet. "You should keep that modesty of yours. Women really like that in a man, there was a man I knew who was just like you," she said.

Ichigo started walking down the pathway with her as they began to talk to each other. "So you've dated before?" he asked.

"I guess you can say that, but we aren't seeing each other anymore... though I still love him. He was probably the first man I ever fell in love with. And here I thought I'd never fall in love with a man," she looked very sad after saying that. Ichigo punched her shoulder a little as she staggered to the side a little. "No need to be getting sad. If you still love him then... that's something. Even if he doesn't love you like that, then protect him with all your strength and hope for him to come back to you," he said.

_It's harder than it looks, Inuyasha loves Kagome and I know he does. So that's why I should probably just leave their relationship alone,_ Kikyo thought. She looked up at Ichigo who was staring down at her, wondering if she was really OK or not.

"You're right. But, maybe I should see other men. He likes someone else right now, so I don't want to interfere with their relationship... even though sometimes I can't help myself," she said.

"That works too," Ichigo responded, placing his hands behind his head as he looked up at the clouds. Kikyo stood by Ichigo, thinking of Inuyasha. _They are so alike it's unbearable to stand by him sometimes, the pain in this cold heart of mines,_ she thought.

They arrived in the village as the two kids ran off, leaving Kikyo and Ichigo together as they walked over to the river. Ichigo watched as Kikyo walked down the grass, reaching the river as she stared at the cool bluish looking liquid running down in a stream. Ichigo stood next to her as they stared down at the water. The air was nostalgic, making them feel more alive as the silence blew across them.

"You're advice was helpful, though I don't think I'll see that man in awhile. After all, I don't want to leave this village anytime soon, I like it here," she said. "And as long as you're here, I think I'll be a lot happier."

Ichigo smiled at her as he watched her hand intertwine in his. She clutched it tightly, and Ichigo thought her hands felt like ice cubes as he shivered a little. _She's so cold, and her skin is so pale... she's no different than a spirit,_ Ichigo thought.

Kikyo looked at Ichigo's chest as the jewel shard glimmered brightly in the light, making him look even more handsome than ever, like his heart was pure gold. _Even though he reminds me of Inuyasha, and he is truly a nice boy... I am not destined for love. After all the things I've done._

"Love just isn't in the future for me," she whispered faintly.

* * *

><p><strong>I guess you can say this story has all sorts of experimental couples. But so far I guess the only considerable couples can be Ichigo x Kagome, Ichigo x Kikyo, Inuyasha x Kikyo, Inuyasha x Kagome, Miroku x Sango, and if you like that twisted dark stuff then Hollow Ichigo x Sango. I won't spoil any further couples, but it surely will be surprising. The next chapter is sweet in a way for both Ichigo and Kikyopartly Kagome. Stay Tune~**


	9. Forlorn Amour

**A/N: The Bleach manga has been so good, and I can't wait for the new chapter. At first I thought they ruined Bleach by continuing it after Rukia ****, but I continued to read it and it was really good, and since it's not an annoying filler, it makes me even happier. Well either way, this chapter is kind of sweet, so Enjoy~**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9: Forlorn Amour<strong>

Kagome slowly opened her eyes, seeing she was still in the village she was in before Ichigo left. She laid in one of the houses as Inuyasha sat in the corner, bandages wrapped around his waist/chest as he held his sealed Tetsusaiga in his arms, his eyes closed as he went into a silent slumber. Sango's arm was wrapped up as she stared out the window, still wearing her demon slayer outfit as she watched the sunset. Miroku laid on futon, his whole torso wrapped in bandages.

"Oh, Kagome you're awake!" Shippo shouted, hopping onto her lap as he smiled brightly. "Shippo," she smiled. "Are you the one who helped us?"

He nodded, looking at Sango before talking. "Sango and I went back to the village and brought your backpack here. We used the medicine you had to help you guys," he said. Sango walked over to Kagome as she got on her knees. "You're injuries weren't as serious as everyone elses. Inuyasha would have been fine... but if it weren't for your medicine things might not have been as good for Miroku," Sango said. Kagome gasped, looking around for Ichigo as she saw he wasn't there.

"We haven't spotted Ichigo since the incident. After he gained control again, he ran off. I don't know why, but I probably would have done the same thing," Sango informed. Kagome felt awful for Ichigo, getting possessed by Naraku, hurting his friends, and then having to bare that burden of losing control and hurting everyone."

_Poor Ichigo, it's not his fault things turned out this way, yet he thinks he's the one responsible for hurting us,_ Kagome thought. "Do you think we'll see him again?" Kagome asked, placing a hand to her chest as she looked down at the jewel shards. "He might still have that jewel shard embedded in his chest, so you might be able to track him. The poor kid," Sango looked over at Miroku who was sound asleep.

"You don't think it's Ichigo's fault for doing this do you Sango? He was being possessed by Naraku, it's not his fault he was acting like this!" Kagome shouted. "Don't worry Kagome, I know it wasn't Ichigo's fault. I'm not really friends with him, but I know that you care about him, so if _you_ think he isn't guilty then I'll listen to you," Sango replied.

Kagome sighed out of relief, seeing as everyone knew it wasn't Ichigo's fault. _But it'll be even harder saying that to Ichigo. He probably ran away because this was too much for him. He's only fifteen after all, and no fifteen year old can bare this type of pain._

She stood up, taking a step outside as she tried to since Ichigo's jewel shard. She couldn't sense it in this range, and it worried her greatly. _How far could he have run?_ she thought, her throat throbbing as she rubbed it a little. She remembered Ichigo strangling her against the wall with a mighty grip as his fingers literally pierced through her skin. Kagome even remembered those eyes... those very eyes that stared at her with pleasure. It was as if he were happy to see her in pain. She knew the man that was attacking them wasn't Ichigo at all. _He even spoke of Ichigo's name as if he were a different person,_ she remembered. Ichigo would never be that man.

"I'll find you Ichigo, I promise," she said aloud, her hair blowing in the wind as she looked at the birds flying across the sky.

**...**

Kikyo stood in the meadow, shooting arrows at demons that had arrived at the village as they swarmed around her. Everyone was unaware of their presence, because she managed to lead them away from the village before they could get there.

She continued to pull arrows from her back as she purified the demons, trying to keep them away from her. _I've spent about an hour killing them, where are they all coming from?_ she thought. She reached back for another arrow, and gasped when she realized there weren't anymore. One of the snake looking demons whipped her with it's long tail as she flew against a tree, slamming her back as she yelped. Kikyo looked at her shoulder as it bled a little. _Damn it,_ she thought.

The demon rushed over to her as her body froze. But luckily Ichigo appeared, swinging his zanpakuto at the demon as it died. He killed the last of the demons as the rest of them fled. "Ichigo," she stammered.

He turned to look at her, a giant frown on his face as he walked over to her. "You can tell me if you're going out to fight. I can help you know," he said. "If not, at least tell me when you're going instead of sneaking out like this," he said.

Kikyo stood up, holding her bloody shoulder as she smiled weakly. "Thank you for the concern," she said.

Ichigo placed his zanpakuto on his back as he stared at her wound. It wasn't really that bad, but she was sweaty crazily as if she'd been wounded all over. _A lot of my souls were drained out of me in that attack,_ she assumed, looking up at the moon which was hidden behind clouds. She then looked over at Ichigo who just seemed to stare at her. Kikyo already knew he was a spirit just like herself, but since he had a jewel shard, she assumed maybe he was revived by it like Kohaku.

"Are you alright Kikyo?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's nothing for you to worry about," she said. Ichigo walked over to her as he lifted her arm and rested it around his neck, helping her a little as they walked down the meadow together. "Jeez, did you really need to go all out?" he asked.

"Look who's talking. From those wounds of yours, who knows what you've been doing," Kikyo said. Ichigo snickered, not wanting to respond because he knew it was true. "Don't look at me as just a woman, I am much stronger than I look," she said. "But don't you want people to see you as a woman?" he asked.

Kikyo didn't know how to answer. In her past life, all she wanted was to be a normal woman, but the jewel shard forbid her from that wish. And now that she's dead, Kikyo always figured she couldn't live a normal life anymore, that she was destined for despair until the end. And with Naraku constantly trying to get rid of her, she always has to travel from village to village, never to find true happiness. So as she replayed Ichigo's question in her head, she looked up at him, her eyes gleaming in the light. "Yes.

"I've always wanted to be a normal woman... but I think it's too late for me," she said. "You're still young, I'm sure you've got plenty of time," he said. Kikyo chuckled, knowing he wouldn't understand what she meant. "How about you Ichigo? You aren't a normal boy, wouldn't you want to be normal for once in your life?"

Ichigo looked up ahead as they got closer to the village. "I've always thought about it, what it would have been like to have been normal... to never have become who I am today. Everything would have been boring and... I don't think I would have made as much friends as I have now. I'd just be a normal boy who everyone's afraid of, trying to get passed life without burdening anyone," he said.

"You think you are a burden?" she asked.

"Sometimes, but when I think I am, that's when I train so I can become stronger and be more than a burden. I want to protect those weaker than me, or those close to me. I've lost too many friends, and I don't want to lose anyone else," he said.

They reached the small hut as they went inside together. Kikyo took her arm away from his neck as she sat on the ground, looking at her bloody shoulder. "Do you need anything?" he asked. Kikyo shook her head, looking out the window as she saw her soul collectors gathering in the sky. "Don't worry, it's only a flesh wound. Go to sleep and I'll deal with this myself," she said.

Ichigo looked at her a little uneasy. He then shrugged his shoulders and walked over to his futon as he laid down and went to bed. Once Kikyo figured he was asleep, she grabbed her arrows and walked out of the hut and into the woods as her soul collectors began to gather around her a little. Kikyo looked back, making sure she wasn't being followed as she walked over to a small pond. It was misty, as if a bucket of acid had been poured into it.

Her soul collectors brought down souls as she held them in her hands, staring at the bright orbs with a blank expression. "This poor damned soul didn't find peace. Allow me to make you useful," she told the soul, sinking it into her shoulder as her wounds began to heal. Even the blood slowly vanished from her white miko outfit.

She slowly felt more alive as she absorbed the last of the souls. Her soul collectors gathered around her as they huddled against her cold skin. She stared at her reflection in the water, her soul looking as sad as always. Her soul collectors lifted her from the ground a little as she hovered in the air a little.

After a few minutes, she sent her soul collectors away as she got on her knees, looking down at the water as she let her hair out. _How long will I have to sober this pain of forever being alone. Inuyasha's replaced me with Kagome, so he no longer needs me. It seems like this whole world has found love but me. But am I deserving of anyone's love? Maybe this is the fate I've chosen for myself,_ she thought, closing her eyes as she allowed her hair to blow over her shoulders.

"Kikyo," she heard. Kikyo turned to see Ichigo standing by a few trees and bushes, clutching his zanpakuto in his hands. Kikyo stood up, walking over to him as she smiled a little. "What are you doing here Ichigo? I thought you were asleep," she said.

"I didn't know what you were planning on doing, so I followed you out here," he said. Kikyo gasped, wondering if he'd seen her with the soul collectors. "Are you alright Kikyo?" he asked. She shook her head, looking down at her feet as she sighed to herself.

"I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me. I am capable of handling myself," she harshly said. Ichigo flinched a little, taking a step back as he expected her to yell at him or something. "OK, you don't have to be so rude about it," he said, raising his hands up a little.

Kikyo giggled surprisingly, raising a hand as she covered her mouth. "I was just joking, you fool," she laughed.

She looked into his eyes as they sparkled in the light of the pond. Ichigo looked down at her, watching as she got closer and closer to him until there was barely any space between them. He blushed, seeing she was bringing her hands up to his shoulders. His body tensed up as Kikyo brought her face close to his, slowly closing her eyes as she puckered her lips. _What's going on?_ Ichigo thought. _Why is she doing this?_

Kikyo cut herself off as she looked away, realizing what she was doing as she backed up. "Forgive me," she mumbled quietly. Ichigo's face was as red as a cherry as he stared down at her. "Kikyo," he stammered.

They suddenly heard a rustling in the bushes as they both looked over. "Who goes there?" she asked. The intruder crawled out of the bushes as she stared at the two of them with wide eyes. Ichigo was shocked to see who it was, his eyes almost falling out of his head as his body shook a little. Kikyo looked at the girl evilly. "Kagome..."

* * *

><p><strong>The next chapter explains how Kagome got there and how all this is going to go down. So um... yeah. Stay Tune~<strong>


	10. Compassion

**A/N: It's been awhile, please forgive me. I've been taking a lot of test to get prepared for high school, and I'm trying to keep my grades up so I can go to this very preppy school (for rich kids). So um yeah... I wasn't busy today so I just started typing and well this is what came out. So... Enjoy~**

**P.S. This chapter is really peaceful.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10: Compassion<strong>

Kagome stood near the bushes, her eyes wide as she stared at the two, clutching her bow and arrow. Kikyo took a few steps away from Ichigo as she pulled out her bow and arrows as well. "How did you find me?" she asked rudely.

Rather than responding, Kagome immediately ran over to Ichigo and jumped over to him, pulling him into an embrace as she hugged him tightly. Ichigo gasped, looking down at Kagome who clutched tightly onto his black shihakusho. Kikyo stared at Kagome with hate in her eyes, wondering what was going on as she looked at Ichigo. Inuyasha and the others came rushing out of the bushes as they saw Kagome and Ichigo reuniting. Inuyasha stared at Kikyo, his eyes shaking as she looked at him hastily.

"I should have known all of you were going to come," Kikyo said, lowering her bow and arrows a little as she looked over at Ichigo. "I didn't know you knew these people Ichigo, yet something sort of told me you did. Everyone now and days knows them," she said.

Kikyo could also see how close Kagome and Ichigo were as her eyes shook a little. "But I didn't know you were _this_ close to Kagome..." she said. Without another word, Kikyo began to walk away as she ignored everyone else. "Kikyo wait!" Inuyasha shouted, running over to her.

She pulled an arrow out and shot it at Inuyasha, who backed away from the blast as it left a giant hole in the ground. He looked at her shocked. "Leave me be Inuyasha. I have no desire to talk to you right now," she said, her voice broken as if about to cry. "Kikyo," he stammered.

After saying that, Kikyo let her soul collector's swarm around her as she fled, vanishing into the night sky. Inuyasha stared at her, wondering why she was in such a foul mood. He then looked over at Ichigo who was staring at Kagome, his eyes shaking.

Everyone ran over to Ichigo as they gathered around him.

"What are you guys doing here?" he asked. Kagome looked up at him, smiling brightly. "We were all looking for you Ichigo," she said.

He began to squeeze his fist as he closed his eyes. "Why?" he asked. "Why would you look for me? You're not mad about the fact I hurt you all, that I couldn't control myself in front of you guys?" he shouted. He looked over and Inuyasha and Miroku's wounds. "It's all my fault you all are hurt!"

Kagome rested her head on his chest, still smiling. "It doesn't matter to us. We're friends," she said. "And friends forgive each other. I know it wasn't your fault you hurt us, we all know. So you don't have to be so sad anymore, we all forgive you," she said.

Ichigo looked around at everyone. They were smiling at him, trying to show him how much they cared. _They're not mad at me, despite the pain I put them through, and running away right after it,_ he thought. Inuyasha walked over to Ichigo as he punched him in the back of the head.

He groaned, rubbing the throbbing spot as he looked up at Inuyasha. "Cheer up already you crybaby!" Inuyasha snorted.

"We know it wasn't you that was attacking us, and the jewel shard was mainly the cause for you acting like that. We understand everything now, and I'm sure you do to. So stop moping around and come back with us already," he said. Ichigo sighed as he looked around once more.

"Fine, I'll come with you guys," he said. Kagome cheered, grabbing his hand as they walked through the woods together. Kagome looked up at Ichigo who stared at the trees (as if trying to avoid looking at her).

_I'm glad we found him, that he's safe._

**...**

The next morning, Ichigo sat in one of the village houses, Sango and Kagome sitting around him as he breathed in and out. Inuyasha ate a cup of noodles Kagome had made and Miroku sat outside with Shippo and Kirara.

They'd taken off the top part of Ichigo's shihakusho as they observed the jewel shard which was hanging out in his skin. "It looks no different than a _really_ deep splinter," Kagome said. "This jewel shard is the cause for that crazy rampage of yours. Once we take this out then you can participate in the fights," Sango said. "Alright then, let's get this over with," Ichigo said, inhaling a big gulp of air.

Sango pulled her sword out as she pointed it at Ichigo chest. Kagome turned her head as she covered her ears, closing her eyes as she kept her back to them. Sango dug her sword into his chest as he cringed, making a pained noise as the sharp point made contact with his flesh, blood pouring out as he clinched his teeth together. Sango pulled her sword out as she made a small opening in his chest, the jewel shard peeking out.

She stuck one of her fingers in as she pulled the jewel shard out. Ichigo coughed up a little bit of blood as his muscles tensed up tightly. She successfully pulled the jewel shard out as some more blood leaked out of his open wound.

Sango tapped Kagome's shoulder as she stopped plugging her ears, looking over at Ichigo who was trying to scotch the bleeding. Kagome grabbed some bandages as she wrapped them around his wound. "I wonder why Kikyo didn't take the jewel shard out and keep it for herself," Sango said, staring at it as it glimmered in his blood.

"The jewel shard could have been taking the pain out of his wounds, so maybe she kept it in so Ichigo wouldn't feel anymore hurt than he already was," Kagome said, taking the jewel from Sango as she collided the jewel to her other jewels. Ichigo got redressed as he stretched his arm out a little, resting his head on the wall as he closed his eyes. "Well for whatever reason she kept it in, I guess it doesn't matter now does it?" he said, crossing his arms.

Kagome stood up and walked over to the front door as she stared at the rising sun. They'd been staying in this small village for about two and a half days now, it was almost time for them to leave now. _I don't think another day of resting will hurt anyone, after all I'm sure we all want to relax for at least one more day,_ Kagome thought, stretching her arms out as she yawned loudly.

She suddenly remembered something as a big smile appeared on her face. "Hey guys, you know what would bring everyone's mood up? The hot springs!" she shouted.

Everyone stared at her, clearly mistaking on what they heard, but they soon realized she was serious as she looked at everyone lustrously. "When we got back to the village, I saw a hot spring behind one of the buildings. I wanted to tell you guys sooner but I thought we should sit down and rest for a moment," Kagome explained.

Sango stood up, fixing her kimono as she smiled at all the boys, Kirara hopping on her shoulder. "I agree with Kagome, a hot spring does sound lovely right about now. My bones are aching and could use a good rest," Sango said.

"Would you like me to massage you Sango?" Miroku asked. Immediately, Sango slapped Miroku across the face, leaving a hand print as he sat back down. "What is it with girls and hot water anyways?" Inuyasha asked. "I don't know, I'm a little worn out too. I wouldn't mind a hot spring either," Ichigo said.

"You too? Well, I should of known... you're name says everything about you," Inuyasha snickered. "Inuyasha sit," Kagome said.

Inuyasha slammed into the ground face first as he gasped loudly. "Well you're out voted Inuyasha so everyone's going to the hot springs! And that includes you," she ordered. He grumbled to himself as he stood up, crossing his arms as his dog ears flinched a little.

Everyone walked out of the building as they followed Kagome over to the hot spring. They walked behind a few trees as the steam rose a little, the hot air filling their nostrils. They soon reached a place with steaming hot water and some rocks.

Kagome and Sango made sure that the boys staid on one side and they staid on the other as the two girls went off somewhere away from the boys. The group shed from their clothes as they set them into a pile near the rocks and got into the water.

Ichigo leaned against one of the rocks as he closed his eyes, sighing peacefully as his cheeks turned red (due to the hot water). Inuyasha stared at Ichigo as he thought to himself, _He really needs to man out._ Shippo sat next to Ichigo as he looked up at him. "Can I ask you something Ichigo?" Shippo began. Ichigo looked over at Shippo, prepared for what he had to say.

"Do you like Kagome?"

Out of no where, Ichigo started coughing on air as he grabbed his throat. He made an awkward face expression as he looked at Shippo playfully but with a tinge of anger. "N-No... why in t-the world would you think that S-Shippo..?" he asked.

"Well, it just seems like you and Kagome are really close, so I was just curious is all," Shippo said. Ichigo wiped his mouth as he looked over at a couple of rocks. "I bet Kagome likes you, she seemed really concerned about you when you left," he said.

"She did? Well, I don't know if I like her like _that_ or not," he said. Ichigo looked over at Inuyasha who was dunking his head in the water a little. "I always thought that Kagome liked you," Ichigo said. Inuyasha choked just like Ichigo as he coughed a little. "What?"

"Well, Kagome knows you more than she knows me. If you add up the time I've known her, I've known her for... about a week now," he said.

"That doesn't really matter, it only took Inuyasha about three days before he started having feelings for Kagome," Miroku said, his voice sounding cocky. Inuyasha punched Miroku as he rubbed the bump on his head. "I've been meaning to ask you something too Ichigo," Miroku said.

Ichigo looked over at him, making an annoyed expression. "What is it now?" he asked. "When we got there, you were with Kikyo right?" Miroku asked. Ichigo nodded, trying to figure out where this conversation was going to lead him. "What were you and Kikyo doing exactly?"

Inuyasha stared at Ichigo curiously, his eyes holding back rage. Ichigo tried to remembered what happened exactly (he doesn't have the best memory). He then remember what Kikyo tried to do to him. _She tried to kiss me, I know that's what she tried to do..._

His face turned red thinking about it. Inuyasha balled his hands into a fist as he clinched his teeth. "I guess Kikyo didn't tell you about me, am I right?" he asked.

He looked over at Inuyasha, a little shocked. "You know her?" he asked. Inuyasha leaned his back on one of the rocks as he sighed to himself. "Yeah, me and her were very close," he said.

**...**

Kagome laid in the steaming hot water as she sighed enthusiastically, letting her hair get wet in the water as she closed her eyes and laid back on the hot rocks. "This is so relaxing," Kagome thought aloud. Sango sat next to her, looking down at the water with melancholy in her eyes.

"What's wrong Sango?" Kagome asked. Sango looked up at Kagome, rubbing wet hands against her hair as it made it look like silk. "Oh, I was just thinking about something," she said. Suddenly, Sango's shoulder popped as she grabbed her arm. She popped it again as it throbbed for awhile. "I almost forgot about your arm, are you doing alright?" Kagome asked.

Sango nodded, looking over at some of the rocks that set a barrier between the boys and the girls. "Yeah, it's doing fine. Ichigo didn't do much to me, and by the looks of it he didn't do much to you either. For some odd reason, even though he was being possessed, I think he was somewhat sane during that time so he wouldn't hurt the girls extremely bad," Sango said.

Kagome thought about Ichigo, about that inner 'demon' of his. _I feel so bad for him. Inuyasha felt just as bad when he hurt people in full demon mode. Though Ichigo's seemed even worse than Inuyasha's._ "You must really like Ichigo," Sango suddenly said.

A sudden gasp arose from Kagome as she jumped up. "What!" she shouted. Kagome suddenly started laughing out of nowhere, waving her hand around as she blushed. "I don't like him like that! Sure, we're good friends but I don't know if I could like him like that," she stammered.

"I don't see why not, you two seem really inseparable as it is. I'm sure Ichigo likes you and... if it weren't for his wild demotic aura I might of thought he was kind of cute," Sango blushed herself a little. Kagome suddenly started thinking about things. She started thinking about Ichigo running over to her after a battle has ended. Then he'd sweep her up in his strong arms and embrace her tightly. Once the embrace is over they'd connect lips and the sparks would fly.

Her whole face went as red as a strawberry just thinking about it as she covered her cheeks with her hands. "I wonder what Kikyo and Ichigo did," Sango said. Kagome stopped blushing, remembering that Kikyo and Ichigo were together in the woods.

"What did you see when you were crawling through the bushes?" Sango asked. Kagome tried remembering what exactly happened when she was making her way over to him. She saw Ichigo's hair, and Kikyo's head, but she didn't really know what they were doing. _If I didn't know any better, I'd think that Kikyo was trying to kiss him..._

Kagome lowered herself in the water until her mouth was in it. _I should have known that Kikyo already wooed him. It's just like Inuyasha, Ichigo doesn't like me after all..._

* * *

><p><strong>Poor Kagome :(<br>The next chapter contains some action, possible sadness. Stay Tune~**


	11. Conspiracy

**A/N: I agree with you guys, I do feel sorry for Kikyo. I personally don't understand why everyone hates her... I mean she can be annoying (and mean) sometimes, but she's still a girl who just wants to settle down and find love without any hardships. Oh well, sucks to be Kikyo. This chapter has some action in it, the next chapter has more though. Enjoy~**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11: Conspiracy<strong>

In the night sky, Kikyo soared as she let her soul collectors lead the way for her. She looked like a fairy making her way across the moon as many female souls gathered around her. _Damn that Kagome,_ she thought, her black hair blowing in the wind.

_As if she hadn't already seduced Inuyasha away from me._ Kikyo began thinking about Ichigo, about what she almost did... what she could have done if she hadn't been afraid of what he'd think of her. She had no idea about it, but from one glance she knew instantly that Ichigo would most likely fall for Kagome just like Inuyasha. They already seemed so close, and any day now one of them will speak the words, "I love you." then sweet lustful things may occur between the two. _Oh how I wish it were me instead._

Kikyo finally reached her destination as she walked through an empty village, still clutching her arrows as she sent her soul collectors away into the sky. She walked down the village pathway and soon reached a huge temple as she stood outside the door.

She slowly reached her hands over to the door as she slid it open. "Aw Kikyo, what a pleasant surprise," a man said. The way her name rolled of his tongue sickened her, but she knew that if she thought about it right now her plans wouldn't succeed like she wanted them to.

"Naraku," she said coldly. Naraku smiled as he stood up, walking over to her. Kikyo lifted her arrow as she aimed it at his head.

"I see, you still don't trust me?" he asked, though it didn't sound like a question. Kikyo looked at him evilly as she stared at the gray jewel shards behind him. "I didn't come here to chat with you about whether I trust you or not. I'm actually here to make a deal with you, Naraku."

**...**

The morning sun rose from the sky as Kagome slowly opened her eyes. She looked around to see where she was, and wasn't surprised to see that she was sleeping against a tree. The fire pit Sango had made was all burned out as black smoke oozed from it. Inuyasha slept across from Kagome, Shippo next to him as he laid flat on the ground. Sango and Miroku slept next to each other near the fire, and Ichigo sat perched on a tree branch, wide awake as he watched the forest whistle before him.

Kagome sat up, yawning quietly as she itched her black hair. "Ichigo, did you get any sleep at all last night?"

Ichigo looked down at her, realizing she was awake. "Oh, you don't have to worry about me Kagome. Remember, I can go at least a week without sleeping or eating," he said.

"But remember, you're only a _substitute_ shinigami. You're still human you know," Kagome mentioned. Ichigo hopped down from the tree as he sat beside her, smiling softly, which caused Kagome to blush a little. _"I wonder what Kikyo and Ichigo did."_

Sango's words suddenly rang through Kagome's head as her eyes widened a little. _Oh yeah, I forgot. When we found Ichigo he was in the woods with Kikyo._ Kagome got in fetal position and rested her head on her knees as she stared at the ashes in the fire pit. _What if Ichigo and Kikyo did do something while I was away? Then what, all of my feelings would have been for nothing. He would of been just like Inuyasha. Why can't Kikyo just disappear forever!_

Kagome squeezed her fist as she clinched her teeth. "Are you OK Kagome?" Ichigo suddenly asked.

She pulled herself together as she looked up at Ichigo, smiling as she wiped her eye a little. "Are you feeling alright Ichigo?" she suddenly asked. Ichigo looked down at his lap as he sighed. "Yeah, I'm doing fine. Is something wrong Kagome?" he asked.

Kagome leaned on his shoulder as she closed her eyes. "Oh, it's nothing. I'm just glad that you're OK," Kagome said silently. Ichigo leaned on her a little as well as he closed his eyes too. _"I bet Kagome likes you."_ Ichigo remembered Shippo saying as he opened his eyes only a little so he could peek at Kagome.

_Her, liking me? I doubt it, she's probably into Inuyasha or something. Who knows what types of things they did when I wasn't around. I never was good with girls... I mean, look at Rukia and Orihime._ Ichigo closed his eyes again as he crossed his arms.

Both Kagome and Ichigo thought to themselves about what it would be like to be with each other, but they'll never confess their feelings to one another because they don't think it'll be possible for them to ever get together.

Shippo slowly opened his eyes as he saw Ichigo and Kagome leaning on each other, their eyes closed as if they'd fallen asleep again. Shippo stared as he saw Kagome holding onto Ichigo's hand as she clutched it tightly.

"I knew those two liked each other," Shippo heard Sango whisper as she stared at them, her eyes gleaming. Kirara crawled onto Sango's shoulder as she purred a little, letting Sango pet the top of her head as she smiled brightly.

**~Later On~**

The gang had awaken and started down the trail again. The only difference was that everything seemed quiet. No one talked, no demons appeared, even the wind made no sound. Kagome decided to ride on Ichigo's back for once, who had no problem carrying her as he held onto her legs. Inuyasha felt a little jealous, seeing she's found someone else to lean on... literally.

Kagome sniffed the air when she smelt something filling her nostrils. She looked down at Ichigo and realized the smell was coming from him as she blushed. _He smells like strawberries,_ she thought. Kagome found it really ironic and started giggling as she covered her mouth.

"What's the problem now?" Ichigo asked.

"Oh, nothing," Kagome said, waving her hand around a little as she tried to keep from laughing again.

Inuyasha suddenly sniffed the air, smelling something odd as he looked around. "What's wrong Inuyasha?" Kagome asked.

"I smell fresh blood up ahead. And a familiar scent... it might be Naraku," he said. Everyone suddenly started running down the pathway as fast as they could. They could see smoke rising from up ahead as some trees began to fall a little. Everyone began to run faster as they could hear screaming from a few villagers and some wood smashing and breaking.

"Do you think Naraku really is there? It could be one of his traps again," Miroku said. "No, I know this is Naraku I can tell. This scent is too strong for it not to be him," Inuyasha said, running even faster as he pulled his Tetsusaiga out, ready to attack anything that Naraku sent after him.

They finally reached the village as they saw it burning to the ground, dead bodies piling as the place reeked of blood. Kagome gasped as she covered her mouth, watching as corpses burned in flames and decayed before her eyes. "What happened here?" she stammered, her eyes shaking violently as she watched some people run out of their homes. Suddenly, their backs were shredded as they fell to the ground and bled to death.

Kagome got off of Ichigo's back as he pulled his zanpakuto out, wondering what just killed those innocent people as he scowled. They heard a female laughing as a wind storm blew their way. In the wind storm came out Kagura as she held her fan in front of her face, smiling as she stared at Inuyasha.

"Kagura!" Inuyasha shouted, clutching his Tetsusaiga tightly as he stared her dead in the eyes. "Hello Inuyasha," she said coldly. She looked over at Ichigo who seemed just as alert as Inuyasha.

"I see, this must be your friend Kurosaki Ichigo," she said.

"You're the one Naraku's been talking about. You seem like a real threat to us, he monitored you through that jewel shard that was shot in you, and we got a glimpse of that inner power of yours," Kagura informed. "At first Naraku planned on using you, but you seemed to difficult to deal with, so it'd be better if we just killed you instead," Kagura said.

She blew her fan at them as she smirked. "Dance of Blades."

Blade like winds shot at everyone as they hopped out of the way, the blades smashing into the ground as it left an explosion. Kagura blew her fan again at Sango and Miroku as they jumped further away from Inuyasha and the others. That's when Kagura looked over at Ichigo and blew her fan again. "Dance Of the Dragon."

Tornado like winds went over to Ichigo as he lifted his sword up, trying to block as they smashed into him. Lucky enough he was blocking himself as the winds could have pierced through his flesh. "Ichigo!" Kagome shouted. She aimed one of her arrows at Kagura as she tried aiming it at her head.

Kagome let go of the arrow as it shot over to Kagura who was just smiling to herself. That's when another arrow shot at Kagome's, causing both the wooden objects to explode as she gasped. Kagome looked over and saw Kikyo walking out of the flames with an evil expression on her face.

"Kikyo?" Inuyasha said, lowering his sword a little as he stared at her with wide eyes. Kikyo had her eyes focused on Ichigo as she smirked, knowing he would be here as she felt like laughing. "K-Kikyo?" Ichigo stammered, looking over at her as well.

Kikyo aimed another arrow at Kagome as it shot at her like lightning. Kagome rolled out of the way while yelping. "Kagome!" Ichigo shouted, running over to her as fast as he could as Kagome struggled to get up a little. "Dance of the Dragon!"

Kagura swung her fan at Ichigo as a wide tornado consumed Ichigo. He was now inside of Kagura's Dance of the Dragon, no different than being in the eye of the tornado as he looked around, seeing the wind spinning around him in every direction.

"Kagome!" Ichigo shouted, lifting his zanpakuto up a little as he looked around, trying to figure out where he was. "There's no point in escaping, you're trapped now!" Kagura said. Ichigo's leg was suddenly cut as he gasped, looking down at it as his leg bled a little. "By using this attack, you won't be able to see when I swing another move at you," she said.

Ichigo's arm was suddenly cut as he grabbed his arm, looking around trying to see if he could see Kagura. _If I keep a calm head and focus then I might be able to predict her attacks,_ Ichigo thought, lifting his zanpakuto up as he looked around.

He saw a flash of light coming his way as he lifted his sword up, deflecting it as he smirked. "This is a pretty lame attack. If I can dodge it this easily, I'm sure I'll make it out of here just fine," Ichigo taunted.

"Don't underestimate your opponent," she said. Kagura sent another blade like wind in the tornado as Ichigo blocked it, but while he had his back turned, she sent another one in there. Ichigo could hear it coming over as he turned around, blocking that one as well. That's when five more came for his legs and back as he tried to turn around and block, but his legs were cut while he tried to defend his torso.

Blood poured from his injuries as they buckled a little, but he refused to fall as he panted a little.

Kagome looked at the tornado as she tried to run over to his aid. "Ichigo!" she shouted.

Kikyo shot another arrow in front of Kagome as she fell backwards, landing right on her butt. "Don't even think about it Kagome," Kikyo said. "You're opponent is me, if you keep focusing on Ichigo, then you'll die immediately."

"Why are you doing this? Why are you with Naraku?" Kagome asked.

Kikyo started laughing as she lowered her arrows a little. "Isn't it obvious why? Naraku and I strive for the same thing, to see Inuyasha and Ichigo dead. And you keep interfering with that, so if I have to kill you then I will," she explained.

Kagome stood up, shaking her head as she balled her hands into a fist. "Why do you want to see Ichigo dead? What did he do to you?"

"Silence!" Kikyo shot another arrow at Kagome who jumped out of the way, aiming an arrow at Kikyo as she shot it at her. Kikyo's soul collectors helped her hover out of the way quickly as she aimed her arrow at her again. _There's no point in trying to reason with Kikyo. If she wants to fight then I guess that's what we have to do,_ Kagome thought. _But, I hope Ichigo is OK._

* * *

><p><strong>Well look at that, Kikyo vs Kagome and Ichigo vs Kagura. What a battle! Stay Tune~<strong>


	12. Fight!

**A/N: These fights are going to be epic! Who's gonna win, you're gonna have to read and find out. But since this is mainly a romance fanfiction (with a ton of action), I'm sure you're also wondering what the couples are going to be on here. You'll have to read for that too. But right now, let's get back to this fight. It's kind of hard to make Ichigo fight Kagura because he doesn't hit girls, but I think I'll find a way to make things work out. Enjoy~**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12: Fight!<strong>

Minutes passed for Ichigo as he stood in the small space he had. Ichigo had small scrapes which ripped his shihakusho a little, but it was no different than a paper cut for him. _A few flesh wounds aren't going to stop me though,_ he thought. His arms and legs had small cuts, but barely any blood came out.

Kagura sent another blade at him as he ducked, the blade scraping his cheek as blood seeped out of it. _I've got to think now,_ Ichigo said to himself. _This is kind of like what Byakuya did when we fought in the Soul Society only her attacks are weaker. Those things she's sending at me are like his senbonzakura except slower. By keeping a calm head I can easily dodge the attack, but I don't know how I'm suppose to get out of here. If I use flash step I'll still have to go through the tornado, and if their like knives I might get seriously injured._

While he was thinking, Kagura shot another blade at him as he blocked it easily. _There's gotta be a way out of here, that way I can help Kagome._

Ichigo suddenly saw something as another blade shot through. He blocked it, looking back up at that spot, not seeing what he saw before. Ichigo knew he saw an opening, and that's when he realized something. When she's sending the blades in, she might be opening up the tornado so she can get it in correctly.

_That means, if I move fast enough and look for her, I might be able to get out!_ Another blade came out as he hopped up from the ground, shooting himself to the open area as he saw the sunlight coming in a little, and Kagura's face who was smiling. "I've got you now!" he shouted.

Kagura blew her fan in his face as the wind blew in his eyes, causing them to bug out a little as he backed up. "Damn it!" he shouted. When he blinked, Kagura had her fan at her face as she covered her mouth. "Dance of Blades!"

The blade made contact with his chest as Ichigo fell to the ground. He looked down at his chest which was bleeding a little. "Did you really think you 'got me'? I can manipulate all the wind in here, you can not escape!" she shouted.

Ichigo stood up, looking around for the next opening as he watched for her. "We'll see about that then Kagura!" he shouted, ready to try again

**...**

Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Kirara watched as Kagome and Kikyo went one on one with each other. They were both panting as they stood on opposite sides of the battlefield, not a scratch on them as they aimed their arrows at each other again.

Kagome shot her arrow first, but Kikyo's soul collector lifted her out of the way, causing her arrow to miss as she hovered in the air. Kikyo shot an arrow at Kagome who slid out of the way, the power exploding behind her. In mid slide, Kagome shot another arrow in the air. Kikyo let go of her soul collector as she fell to the ground, dodging the arrow as she shot another one at Kagome.

She tried to dodge, but the arrow came so quickly she barely had time to react. The arrow hit her hip as she yelped, grabbing onto her side as it bled. Kikyo stood before Kagome, pouting as she lowered her arrow a little. "Give up now, you can not defeat me," she said.

Kagome immediately shot another arrow at Kikyo as it scratched her cheek. "I won't give up! Not ever! For so long now I've felt like I couldn't do anything for the group... like I was a burden. But now I feel more important, like I can stand up for myself!"

Those words made Kikyo think of what Ichigo had told her that night, only making her heart burn with rage as her eyes filled with fire. She immediately shot an arrow at Kagome who rolled out of the way, shooting an arrow at Kikyo who wrapped her arm around her soul collector again, going into the air again as she shot an arrow at Kagome.

Kagome stepped to the side as she watched Kikyo's moves. _The only reason she's moving so fast is because she has that soul collector with her. That means if I kill it then that might slow her down a little,_ Kagome assumed. She shot an arrow at Kikyo who moved to the side.

As quick as lightning, Kagome shot another arrow as it made contact with her soul collector.

"Oh no!" Kikyo shouted. Her soul collector vaporized as her grip loosened on it, the dust flowing away from her fingers as she gasped. Kikyo fell from the air as she landed on her back, coughing up a little bit of blood as her eyes went wide. _My soul collector,_ she thought.

Kagome dashed over to Kikyo, preparing to shoot her last arrow as she clutched her bow tightly. "It's over Kikyo!" she shouted.

That's when Kikyo suddenly grabbed her arrow and shot it at Kagome who didn't even see it coming as it stabbed into her shoulder. Kagome gasped, dropping her weapon as she stared at it, her eyes wide. Her shoulder went numb and the blood poured out as she just stood there.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted. Kikyo stood up, laughing to herself as she looked over at Inuyasha, then back at Kagome. "I told you, you can not defeat me. I'm guessing you thought, 'by destroying my soul collector you'd have the upper advantage' am I right? I am not as weak as you," Kikyo said.

She pointed her arrow mere inches from Kagome's head as she smiled. "This is the end of you, Kagome. And in a way, this is revenge for me too."

Kagome looked up at Kikyo, her eyes filling with tears as her legs shook. "I get it now, the reason you want to kill me that is. It's because you're jealous, aren't you?" Kagome said. Kikyo looked at her, a little bewild by her statement as her eye twitched. "You're jealous because Inuyasha likes me better than you," Kagome said.

"I can care less about Inuyasha," Kikyo snickered. "I think you still love him, or is it that you actually love Ichigo now? Are you jealous because of that?"

"Be quiet!" Kikyo shouted. "Why would I be jealous of you? Inuyasha no longer has a place in my heart, he left a long time ago after he tried to kill me and take the Shikon jewel away! And Ichigo... you don't deserve a man like that! He deserves better, someone who can understand him more!"

Kikyo was about ready to let go of the arrow and let it stab into Kagome's face. "Now die, Kagome!"

**...**

Kagura watched as Ichigo just stood there, his eyes closed as he didn't even bother looking at her. _What's going on, he's acting funny,_ Kagura asked herself.

"Dance of Blades!" she blew her fan in the tornado as the blades shot at him. Ichigo immediately opened his eyes and lifted his zanpakuto up, swinging the heavy object as fast as he could. "Getsuga Tensho!" he shouted. A blue fang shot out from it as it smashed into her tornado and almost hit Kagura if she hadn't of ducked. "What the hell!" she exclaimed. She opened her eyes and Ichigo had hopped right through the open spot Kagura had left for him. _Damn it!_ Kagura thought.

Kagura turned her gaze behind herself as she saw Ichigo hopping over to Kikyo who was unaware of him coming over. _Retreat,_ Kagura thought. "Kikyo, we need to get out of here!"

It was too late, Ichigo had dashed over to Kagome's aid as he jumped in front of her, slashing the bow and arrow in Kikyo's hands as it broke before her. Kikyo gasped, watching as her only weapon crashed onto the ground. She then looked up and saw Ichigo standing up in front of her. Kagome stared at Ichigo with wide eyes as she held onto her bleeding shoulder (She'd pulled the arrow out).

"Ichigo," Kikyo stammered. Ichigo looked at Kikyo, his back turned to Kagome. She looked into his eyes, and they looked as cold as ice, piercing into her being as her body shook violently, not wanting to say a word at all as she just stared at him.

"That's enough," he said. Kikyo stared down at her hands as they shook. "Why? Why did you interfere? Is it because you wish to protect this girl so badly? Is it because you really do like her?" Kikyo asked. "Or is it, because you hate me?"

Kikyo stared at Ichigo coldly as she balled her hands into a fist. "You men are all the same! I hate it so much!" she shouted.

Ichigo was shocked, but he only kept a blank face as he stared at her with the same coldness she gave him. "Kikyo," he said. She shook her head, letting her soul collectors fly over to her as they lifted her off the ground. "I don't want to hear it from you! And that is why... that is why I-"

Kikyo cut herself off as her soul collectors created a giant barrier around herself. Ichigo was wondering what she was up to as he lifted his zanpakuto a little. Sango looked over to the left and saw something rushing over to Ichigo through the grass as she gasped.

_No you don't!_ Sango thought, swinging her boomerang at the ground as she tried to cut it off. The thing bumped into her boomerang as it stopped, Sango staring at it as she took a few steps closer to it. Suddenly, the thing shot out from the ground and went directly over to Ichigo. "Watch out!" Sango shouted.

Once it was out of the ground, they could see clearly that it was one of Naraku's tentacles as it shot over to Kagome, about to pierce her back as she turned to stare at it. Ichigo used flash step as he grabbed Kagome, holding her bridal style as he hopped out of the way. The tentacle slammed into Kikyo's barrier, not piercing through as it slid back a little.

Ichigo looked at the tentacle as he saw Naraku, floating their way in a violet colored barrier as he smiled at everyone. "Naraku!" Inuyasha shouted.

Naraku stared at everyone as he smiled deviously, looking at his opponents as he already had everything planned out. Kikyo peeked at him through her soul collectors as she saw him nod. Kikyo nodded, back, watching as her soul collectors gathered around her legs and lifted her into the sky, Kagura following her as they fled.

Miroku ran after them as he removed the beeds from his arm. "Wind tunnel!" he shouted.

Naraku's poisonous insects came out of no where, causing Miroku to quickly close up his wind tunnel as he grabbed onto his hand.

"What the hell are you doing here, bastard?" Inuyasha shouted. Naraku crossed his arms as he shook his head a little. "Isn't it obvious, I'm here to kill you, _and_ you're new friend too," Naraku said. Ichigo looked at Naraku with cold eyes, finally seeing what he truly looked like as he poured all his spiritual energy in his zanpakuto, black and red demotic aura spilling out as he set Kagome down, taking a few steps in front of her.

"So Naraku, you've finally decided to show yourself," Ichigo said, pointing his zanpakuto in front of himself as he smiled a little. "Be careful Ichigo, Naraku is full of miasma and devious tricks! If you let your guard down you'll be killed," Kagome said

Ichigo looked over at her with a mocking expression. "I'm aware of that," he said.

Without a second thought, Ichigo pointed his zanpakuto at Naraku as the reiatsu literally poured out. "I'm not going to hold back!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: The fights on this chapter had a lot of strategy stuff in it, but that's a good thing right? And now it's Naraku vs Ichigo! Nothing good is gonna happen now, Stay Tune~**


	13. Nightmares

**A/N: Sorry this chapter took forever to post, I was extremely busy. I went on anime strike and became very uninterested with it so I kind of avoided this story for awhile. But I'm back now so yeah...  
>This chapter is going to be very shocking and extremely crazy! Enjoy~<strong>

***Warning: This chapter is very very dark, you've been warned.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13: Nightmares<strong>

Naraku watched his opponents with an icy expression on his face, already having everything planned out as he landed on the ground, his sphere shaped barrier still around him. _When I had the jewel shard in that boys chest, I was able to find out what his fighting style's like and things that would weaken him. Thanks to Kikyo's information, I think this plan will work out just fine,_ Naraku thought.

Ichigo stared at Naraku as he frowned angrily._ After hearing Kagome's explanation on him, it seems like if he dies then everything will be good. All his followers will fall, and we can get the jewel shards. But if he's as tough as he sounds, then this is gonna be harder than it sounds. _Ichigo thought.

He put a hand to his face as he continued to watch Naraku, a bunch of his tentacles gathered behind him. _With all my training I'm sure this will work, but I'll have to finish this battle quickly before it messes up. Ten seconds,_ he thought.

"Kagome," Ichigo said, not turning his gaze to her. "Stay back and watch Shippo and Kirara, OK?" he asked. Kagome nodded, grabbing Shippo who was standing near the forest and running away from the war zone, Kirara following.

"Inuyasha, Sango, I've gotta plan. You guys back me up. Miroku, protect Kagome with all your life," Ichigo said. Everyone listened to him, wondering what he planned on doing but not wanting to ask. Ichigo stared at Naraku, pointing his zanpakuto at him as his spiritual pressure rose. _Ten seconds._

"Bankai!" Demotic and Spiritual energy surrounded him as it created a circle around him. Everyone looked over at Ichigo, trying to figure out what happened as they lifted their weapons a little. Ichigo appeared out of the circle of power, his appearance shocking everyone. His shihakusho was different, looking more sleek as his now katana looking zanpakuto spilled out black reiatsu.

What was most noticeable on Ichigo was the hollow like mask on his face. Sango stared at it with wide eyes, holding onto her boomerang tightly. _It looks like the mask he had on when he was being possessed by the jewel shard, only this time it's consumed his whole face!_

Naraku stared at Ichigo, smiling in delight as he already guessed on what Ichigo planned on doing. Ichigo lifted his zanpakuto, pouring all his spirit energy in it. "Getsuga Tensho."

He swung his zanpakuto and a giant Getsuga Tensho shot out, the black fang making its way over to Naraku as it smashed into his barrier. He expected it to just bounce off like most attacks, but this one stuck to him, making his barrier more weaker as it cracked a little. Naraku backed up a little, trying to get away from the attack.

Ichigo used flash step to rush over to the barrier as he swung his zanpakuto at it._ Any more of this and my barrier might break,_ Naraku thought. He sent two tentacles at Ichigo as he shot them at him. Inuyasha swung his Tetsusaiga at one of them while Sango threw her boomerang at the other.

"Getsuga Tensho," Ichigo whispered. Another fang shot out, smashing into Naraku's barrier as it cracked a little more. Naraku gave everyone a shocked face, but on the inside he was laughing. _Just a little more. Then things will launch perfectly._

Naraku purposely weakened his barrier so Ichigo could break it, wanting the plan to start so they could die. The barrier was on it's breaking point as Ichigo pressed his zanpakuto on it a little more, giving it all his strength. His hollow mask was slowly breaking away._ If I give one more strike, the barrier should break and he should be wounded when he comes out. Then Inuyasha and I can take care of him afterwards._

"It's over Naraku!" Ichigo shouted. Naraku smiled, watching as more of Ichigo's spiritual energy shot onto his barrier. "Getsuga Tensho!"

The barrier broke open and Naraku just stood in place, laughing to himself as a bright light suddenly shown from the barrier. Everyone stared at it, wondering what was going on as they shielded their eyes. Suddenly, everything went black.

Naraku watched as everyone fell to the ground like they were all knocked out. He smiled at his work as he saw everyone panicking on the ground a little, their bodies shaking. Kikyo flew down from the sky. She stood next to Naraku, looking at everyone's body. "Have you done it?" she asked.

"Yes, everyone is under my spell right about now. They should be under a spell right now with their worst nightmares," Naraku said. Kikyo looked down a Ichigo, who looked like he was sleeping as his zanpakuto rolled a little next to him. "So you hypnotized them, I see now. But how do you expect to kill them like this?" Kikyo asked.

Naraku filled the whole area with strong miasma as it swarmed around the group. "If they don't die in their sleep, then the miasma should kill them," Naraku said. He made another barrier around himself as he looked over at Kikyo. "We should be going now, everything should work on its own," he said.

Kikyo stared at the bushes as she thought she saw something move. "Go on without me, I'm staying here."

Naraku nodded, leaving Kikyo here by herself as he made her a bow and arrows out of thin air. He handed it to Kikyo before departing, leaving her in the ghost like village filled with miasma, everyone's nightmare beginning.

**...**

Inuyasha opened his eyes and saw he was in the exact same spot he was before that bright light appeared. Everyone was gone, and the flames around them ceased as he stood up, picking his Tetsusaiga up off the ground.

"Hey, are you guys still here?" he called. Inuyasha took a few steps over to the forest as he saw mist slowly form around it. He then saw a shadow coming out of the bushes. Inuyasha lifted his sword up a little. "Who's there?" he shouted.

Kagome limped out from the mist, her leg covered in blood as she held onto her shoulder which looked dislocated. Her whole body seemed to have numerous cuts and gashes on it, blood staining her uniform. Tears spilled out of her eyes as she tried to make her way over to Inuyasha, her whole body in pain. "I-Inuyasha..." she stammered.

Inuyasha hopped over to her as he grabbed Kagome and held her in his arms, looking down at her with wide eyes. "Who did this to you!" he shouted. "Was it Naraku?"

Kagome painfully shook her head, bobbing it back a little as she weakly lifted her arm so she could point at the village. "I-It was.. I-"

Suddenly, a black fang was shot at them as Inuyasha hopped out of the way. He looked over at the forest and saw Ichigo walking out of it, his hollow mask covering his face as he watched the two with his piercing yellow eyes. In his arms he held Kikyo by her throat who looked to be in the same condition as Kagome. He pressed Kikyo to his chest, holding her as a hostage as he placed his thin zanpakuto to her neck, threatening to slit it.

"You! Why are you doing this?" he asked hastily. Inuyasha could hear Ichigo breathing, his voice echoing as the blade pressed harder onto Kikyo's skin. Inuyasha looked bewildered, setting Kagome down gently on the ground as he was ready to attack Ichigo. "Let her go!" he ordered.

"What's the matter, Inuyasha?" he asked, his voice cold. "Do you not like seeing this woman hurt? I thought you liked Kagome... so what do you care whether this woman dies or not?" he asked. Inuyasha was confused physical and emotionally, he didn't know what to do as he watched Ichigo grab her arm tightly.

"I care about both of them! Now let her go!"

Ichigo finally took his eyes off Inuyasha as he looked down at Kikyo who looked like she was about to faint. Instantly, Kikyo's throat was slit as blood sprayed onto the ground. Inuyasha watched as Kikyo fell to the ground, her body bleeding to death as she finally died, her eyes wide.

"You bastard!" he shouted, dashing over to Ichigo who looked well prepared to fight him.

**...**

Ichigo blinked and found himself in the same village he had been fighting Naraku at. He was still in his bankai form, but his mask wasn't on anymore. He looked around, seeing the building still burning in the fire as he wondered where everyone was.

"Anyone here?" he asked, walking around a little as he reached the edge of the forest. That's when he saw a hand sticking out of the bushes. A pool of blood oozed from behind the bush as he stared at it for a moment. _What the hell?_ he thought.

Ichigo looked behind the bush and saw it, something that he never imagined or even wanted to see. There behind the bush was Kagome's dead corpse, laying their with wide glassy eyes, blood pouring from her mouth and sword wounds left all over her chest, her uniform shredded. Her body looked butchered, and Ichigo saw everyone else's body laying next to her, in the exact same condition. Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha, Shippo, and Kirara... they were all dead before him.

Not knowing what to do, Ichigo stood there, staring with wide eyes as he thought to himself. _What the hell happened? What should I do? Is this a joke? What should I do? Is it already to late for them? What should I do?_

"Who did this!" he screamed, clutching his zanpakuto so tightly the palms of his hands bled. **Don't pretend you don't know,** he suddenly heard.

His heart pounded heavily, and he felt like he couldn't breathe. He looked down at the bodies once more, his vision getting blurry as he fell to his knees. **You did it, King,** his hollow said. Ichigo placed a hand on his eye as he tried to hold back. _I would never do something like this,_ he thought.

**But you did it Ichigo. You slayed them with your own hands, this is all your fault.**

Suddenly, a mask began to form on his face, only more painfully as his hollow began to consume his whole body, a hole forming in the center of his chest. He screamed in agony as he dropped his zanpakuto, grabbing and yanking at his hair as he took a step back, his hollow slowly devouring him.

"No!" Ichigo shouted. "Stop!" Ichigo couldn't breathe. He believed he was going to die right here and now, just like all his friends. He didn't know what to do, but he knew he couldn't let his hollow gain control. **But it's already too late king. Everything is all over~**

**...**

Sango opened her eyes and looked around, she was standing up straight, wearing her demon slayer outfit as she looked down at her boomerang that was on the ground. No one was around, not even Naraku, but Sango felt like it was hard to breathe. _It's as if there's miasma somewhere around here,_ she thought.

"Miroku! Kagome, is anyone around?" she called, picking her boomerang up as she looked around the empty village which was still on fire. "Sango," she heard a familiar voice say.

Sango turned and her body froze when she saw Kohaku walking over to her, smiling brightly at her. He was wearing his demon slayer outfit as well, but his hands were covered in blood. "K-Kohaku..?" Sango stammered.

Kohaku began to walk over to Sango, still smiling. Sango smiled herself, tears filling in her eyes as she looked at him. "Kohaku, you're back," she said cheerfully. "Sango, you won't believe the wonderful things I've done," he said. Just hearing that sent chills down her spine as she stopped smiling, wondering what he was talking about. Kohaku walked over to her as he grabbed her hand, feeling like the ice from Antarctica as he pulled her over to the forest.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked. "You'll see, I want to show you something."

_I'm confused right now, Kohaku's acting like himself but... something still seems off about him. Should I really follow him into the forest, and what does he want to show me anyways?_ Sango thought as he began to run farther into the forest. They reached a creak that had a small cliff over it. Kohaku pointed over there as he smiled brightly. "Look what I've done Sango, aren't you proud?" he asked.

Sango looked over the cliff and screamed as she saw her blood covered friends laying on the rocky surface. Inuyasha laid face first in the water, blood streaming from his back. Miroku rested on some rocks, blood coming from his chest. Ichigo was in the same condition as Miroku as he laid on the ground, his shikai zanpakuto laying by him, Kagome on top of him, her back shredded. Sango didn't know where Shippo or Kirara were, but they were probably dead too.

Not able to hold the urge, Sango fell to her knees and began to vomit. Kohaku walked up to Sango, still smiling, only it looked more evil. "Aren't you proud of me, Sango? I've really improved haven't I?" Sango stood up, looking at Kohaku with fear and rage. "How could you do this Kohaku!"

Kohaku stopped smiling, looking at Sango sadly. "You don't like it?" he asked.

Tears began to spill out of her eyes as she shook her head. Suddenly, Sango could hear something behind her as she looked down the cliff. She saw Ichigo moving Kagome onto the ground as he stood, his back to them as he grabbed his zanpakuto. "I-Ichigo...?" she stammered.

He stood there, breathing roughly as he gripped his zanpakuto very tightly, blood streaming from the palms of his hands. He suddenly vanished as Sango gasped, wondering where he went. She then looked over at Kohaku and saw Ichigo behind him.

"Look out!" she shouted. Kohaku turned but it was too late, Ichigo had swung his zanpakuto at his back as blood sprayed in the air. Kohaku fell to the ground and Ichigo stabbed him in the back once more. Sango stared in disbelief and utter terror as she saw it. That mask was covering the left side of his face again as blood splattered on the side of his right cheek, his yellow eyes staring at her like before. He grinned so wide she could see all of his teeth.

"Kohaku!" Sango shouted. Ichigo looked at her with pleasure as he took a few steps over to her. Sango stepped back, but stopped when she realized she was about to fall off the cliff. She could hear his altered breathing and see his hot breath as he made his way even closer to her. Ichigo grabbed her by the neck and squeezed it tightly as he brought her closer to his face.

Sango grabbed his arm as she winced a little, trying to pry his hand away. **"Long time no see, Sango,"** he said, her name smoothly slipping off his tongue as he brought his nose to hers, squeezing her neck even more tightly as he slowly dug the tip of his zanpakuto into her chest, the sharp tip digging inch by inch into her skin each second as she screamed loudly.

**...**

"Sango! Sango wake up!" Kagome shouted. She had crawled from the bushes just to see Sango and the others knocked out on the ground surrounded by miasma. Kagome had been sitting behind a tree at the time, waiting for Ichigo to finish his fight. She didn't see what happened, neither did Kirara or Shippo who stood over Sango.

She was breathing roughly and sweat literally poured from her skin as she moved around a little. "Sango, wake up!" Shippo shouted, tapping her forehead with all his might. Sango finally opened her eyes as she shot up, grabbing her chest as she screamed a little. She gulped, looking around as she expected to see Ichigo standing before her with that sadistic smile on his face. "It's OK Sango, everything is alright," Kagome said, holding onto her shoulder.

"K-Kagome," Sango stammered. _She must of been really scared,_ Kagome thought. "What happened to you guys?" she asked.

"We were fighting Naraku, and Ichigo was about to break his barrier when suddenly a bright light appeared. Then everything went black and... and you were dead because Kohaku-" Sango cut herself off when she shook her head. "I understand now, Naraku put you guys under an illusion, and he probably hoped to kill us all," Kagome added.

She helped Sango up as she looked around for everyone else. "Well let's wake the others up, this miasma is hard to breathe in," Kagome said, running over to Inuyasha who was shaking just as much as Sango was.

However, behind the bushes Kikyo watched them, ready to strike at any minute.

* * *

><p><strong>The next chapter has some romance in it that I think will make you happy. Once again, sorry it took so long to post. This chapter isn't one of my best but it'll have to do for now. Stay Tune~<strong>


End file.
